New Delhi, Aug 11 : The second edition of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) will take place in six Indian cities, with players from many nations participating in this tournament. The initial season of the league was played in January of this year in Muscat, Oman between three teams three teams – India Maharajas, World Giants and Asia Lions – and comprised seven games.
The second season will feature four franchise-owned teams.The season will feature 15 games which will be played in six cities namely Kolkata, Lucknow, Delhi, Jodhpur, Cuttack and Rajkot from September 17 until October 8.
Former Indian captain and the current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly also announced that he will be taking part in an extremely unique game of the LLC.
“Enjoying the practice to prepare to participate in a single charity fundraiser game for Azadi Ka mahotsav.75 years of Indian independence and also for women empowerment with the greatest legends of the legendary league cricket @llct20 have to get some cricket balls in the near future,” wrote Ganguly on Instagram.
However, the main issue for the organisers is the availability of visas for ex- Pakistan cricketers who are also expected to participate in the competition.
There is a growing concern that the BCCI or the Government of India altered its position on its cricket ties with Pakistan.
It is noteworthy that India as well as Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in over a decade, and only play each against each other in Asia Cup and ICC events due to the political tensions between both countries.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) does not permit Pakistan players to play in the IPL, unless they play in the very first season of the league in the year 2008.
In response to questions the situation, a there are a few BCCI officials aren’t very knowledgeable about the issue of visas.
“I don’t have much to say.If Pakistani cricketers receive visas from the government of Pakistan, they’ll play.If not, then they will not play.We (BCCI) are not involved in the event or visa matters,” the official told IANS.
Another official asked “how could Pakistan’s players allow to play cricket on Indian soil even though we have no cricket connections with Pakistan.I am certain they won’t receive an entry visa.”
Additionally, Raman Raheja, Co-Founder and CEO of Legends League Cricket, said, “The upcoming season is an entirely new model with four teams that will play as Franchise owned teams.The players will be selected under an draft process.
As of the moment, we are holding from adding any Pakistan players in the pool.We are in the process of seeking advice from the authorities on whether we should include players in the pool or not.”
“The same could be done only when Visas and other necessary authorizations are in possession from the relevant authorities.If they are allowed, the players will be put in the pool.
However, it’s not clear that these players will be playing in the coming season.After that, it will be the process of drafting that will define the squads.
As an issue of reality, we will follow all the guidelines set by the authorities for the selection of any player,” he added.
The season 2 of the LLC features an extensive list of former cricketers from Pakistan including Shoaib Akhtar, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi and many others who make up the Asia and World XI teams.
Therefore, it is going to be fascinating to observe the Indian government’s position on granting visas to Pakistani players, particularly in the absence of bilateral cricketing connections with the neighboring country.
It is also evident that the majority of Pakistan cricketers, past and present, a lot of who play in the League are staunch supporters and supporters of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL).
The Government of India and BCCI have strongly opposed and condemned the organizing of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL) and have prohibited all cricketers participating in KPL from participating in any type of cricket in India.
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