Legends T-20 League ensures financial security to players post-retirement, says Pragyan Ojha

New Zealand’s just-retired hard-hitting batter Martin Guptill also felt that the League provided an excellent opportunity to keep playing in a different kind of atmosphere.

Film star D. Venkatesh along with prominent cricketers and officials, during the unveiling of Urbanrisers Hyderabad‘s team jersey. | Photo Credit: V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM

Former India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha said the Legends T-20 Cricket League, which started on Saturday, would be a perfect platform for all those who have quit competitive cricket to stay connected with the sport and do what they love the most - playing out there on the field.

“It is like a second career and this League also ensures some sort of financial security to the players post-retirement,” Ojha, who will be representing Urbanrisers Hyderabad in the LCL, informed at the unveiling of the team jersey by film star Daggubati Venkatesh here.

For his part, New Zealand’s just-retired hard-hitting batter Martin Guptill also felt that the League provided an excellent opportunity to keep playing in a different kind of atmosphere.

The Hyderabad franchisee, which will play its first match on November 21, led by former India star Suresh Raina and coached by Nikhil Chopra, also has players like Dwayne Smith, Peter Trego, Chama Kapugedera and Stuart Binny in its ranks.

Nikhil Chopra said they would love to entertain, play the game in the true spirit and obviously go on to win the trophy. “It should be an exciting League and not only for those into mid-40s. There are many who have just recently quit the sport and superfit to unleash those big sixes and face very strong and fit pace attacks. We are all looking forward to it,” he said.

Manoj Namburu, CMD of Urbanrise, said they would to get involved in sport and more so in cricket to ensure that more and more youngsters take to sport in a big way.

“It was disheartening to see so many kids getting addicted to electronic gadgets and confined indoors. We just want to be part of any initiative which reverses this trend. And, I am sure my franchisee will win the trophy and that will be a big advertisement to our objective,” Manoj said.

J.C. Pavan, co-owner, said that their team had the biggest pool of 21 players, including 10 internationals and 11 India players in the entire league and they were pleased to have local touch by way of Ojha, T. Suman and pacer Sudeep Tyagi.

Interestingly, Hyderabad will not host any matches in the coming edition as the whole concept is to organise these League matches in Tier-II cities where the crowd response had been generally very high.

Film star Venkatesh said it was great to see a franchisee with a local touch in the league and wished the team would return home with the trophy.