Manipal Education acquires third franchise in Legends League Cricket

This season will follow a new format with four franchise teams unlike the last season that followed a country-wise three-team format. The teams then were India, Rest of Asia and Rest of the World. The second season will also play cricketers who have recently retired and are in their early late 30s or early 40s barring a couple of exceptions who are older and are very physically fit. 

The idea was to have cricketers who can still offer competitive cricket on the field. There are 75 cricketers participating in the league and the total pool of players would be over 100.

In terms of players, there will be a representation from 11 countries which are all ODI playing right from India to Zimbabwe with big names like Eoin Morgan who retired recently, Chris Gayle, Jonty Rodes and so on. Indian players include Yusuf Pathan, Virender Sehwag, M. Kaif, RP Singh and others. LLC will be starting from Eden Gardens in Kolkata followed by Lucknow, New Delhi, Cuttack & Jodhpur. The play-offs and finals are expected to be in Dehradun.

Dr. Ranjan Pai, chairman of the Manipal Education and Medical Group said, “We are extremely excited about this partnership with Legends Cricket League. This association with a sport that’s loved by every Indian will enable us to reach out and positively impact the lives of fellow Indians. Cricket connects with every age group in India and plays an indispensable role in the lives of people. It is not a mere sport but a religion that binds people together. We look forward to great seasons ahead and hope to make an impact on this ground as well.”Vivek Khushalani, founder and chairman, Legends League Cricket said, 

“We are happy to onboard the group as our third franchise. The cricket in our country binds everyone. Associating with the cricketing legends will help the brand even more. We are looking forward to great association with them.

“Recently, the league announced that the upcoming season will begin September 16 onwards. Adani Group and GMR Group have already acquired franchises in the Legends League Cricket and have named their teams Gujarat Giants and India Capital respectively. Both the groups are associated and active in various sporting events happening across the world. 

As per the recent announcement, LLC will start from Eden Gardens at Kolkata followed by Lucknow, New Delhi, Cuttack & Jodhpur. The venue for play-offs and finals are yet to be decided. In the last season, the overall expenditure of the league was $7 million for the entire project. 

This season, the league will spend close to $15 million and is looking to tweak the business model in such a way that it will make all the teams break even in this season.

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