India Maharajas vs World Giants Highlights: Srivastava, Yusuf fifties drive INM to comfortable six-wicket win over WGS

The World Giants side, led by Jacques Kallis, comprises prominent names such as Daniel Vettori, Mitchell Johnson, Corey Anderson, Monty Panesar and Ravi Bopara.

World Giants won the last two games against India Maharajas. But in those two losses, Naman Ojha has scores of 140 and 95, which make him the player to watch out for.

The game will feature the Pathan brothers and Naman Ojha too. All three were seen in the Road Safety World Series game versus South Africa Legends. India Maharajas also have Mohammad Kaif, Sreesanth, Parthiv Patel and Harbhajan Singh in the line-up.

India Maharajas: Virender Sehwag (c), Mohammed Kaif, Yusuf Pathan, Subramaniam Badrinath, Irfan Pathan, Parthiv Patel (wk), Stuart Binny, S Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Naman Ojha (wk), Ashoke Dinda, Pragyan Ojha, Ajay Jadeja, RP Singh, Joginder Sharma, Reetinder Singh Sodhi

World Giants: Jacques Kallis (c), Lendl Simmons, Herschelle Gibbs, Sanath Jayasuriya, Matt Prior (wk), Nathan McCullum, Jonty Rhodes, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dale Steyn, Hamilton Masakadza, Mashrafe Mortaza, Asghar Afghan, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Kevin O’Brien, Denesh Ramdin (wk)

The nostalgia and timeless rivalries are about to renew as Sehwag and Kallis walk out for the toss, which is about an hour away.

"It is for the first time that about 90 cricketing legends have come to Kolkata. In the history of cricket, you would not have seen so many legends coming to one single city," said Raman Raheja, Co-founder and CEO of the Legends League Cricket.

Besides Kolkata, Lucknow, New Delhi, Cuttack and Jodhpur are the other venues for this edition of Legends League Cricket, which officially begins with Gujarat Giants versus Gautam Gambhir's India Capitals on Saturday. The tournament's first edition was held in Muscat earlier this year.

Legendary pacer Venkatesh Prasad is the coach of Gujarat Giants, captained by Sehwag and owned by Adani Sportsline. He recalled his experience of sharing the Indian dressing room with Sehwag and working with him in the IPL.

They (Sehwag and Gayle) are already legends. They do not really need coaching. Being legends, they know exactly what they have to do. Thanks to Sehwag that I am in this role for Gujarat Giants.

"Me and Viru go long way back. We have played together for the nation. When he was playing, I got into coaching. We were involved in a couple of IPL franchises," Prasad told ANI.

Some of the top names who would be gracing this edition of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) with their presence are Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Muttiah Muralitharan, Jacques Kallis, Chris Gayle and Brett Lee among others. The tournament will also feature all women umpires in a first-of-its-kind initiative in India.

Virender Sehwag, who leads India Maharajas tonight, has previously led the Delhi (Daredevils) Capitals and Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. He will headline the special benefit match and then captain Gujarat Giants in the tournament opener against Gautam Gambhir's India Capitals on Saturday (September 17).

In a letter addressed to the League, Sourav wished his colleagues all the best for the special exhibition game and the league.

“I would like to convey my best wishes for your Legends League initiative. It's a wonderful idea of bringing retired cricketers back on the cricket field and engaging with fans across generations. I am thankful to you for offering me an opportunity to play in the one-off Legends League game at the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata on September 16, 2022.”

"However due to my professional commitments and continuous work with cricket administration, I will not be able to take part in this game. I am sure the fans are eagerly looking forward to this league and there will be large crowds at the stadium," he wrote.

"I will be there at the Eden Gardens Stadium watching the match."

Cricketing greats from 10 nations will be part of special benefit match between India Maharajas and World Giants, which looks to raise funds for the noble cause. 

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly was set to play the game but he expressed his inability to actively participate as a cricketer. But he will be extending all his support for the September 16 clash at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

The carnival is all set to take off in Kolkata with a special benefit match between India Maharajas and Team World Giants. The proceeds of the benefit match will be given to legendary Kapil Dev’s Khushii Foundation, which supports girl child education.

With 90 cricketing greats in action, the Legends League Cricket will take part in 16 matches including the benefit game. After this fixture, Sehwag will once again be in action when his Gujarat Giants take on Gautam Gambhir’s India Capitals in the league opener on Saturday.