[Exclusive] Vision of LLC is to make it second innings for legendary cricketers: Raman Raheja. (Source – Twitter/X)
Legends League Cricket (LLC) has become a platform for cricket legends to once again take the field and impress spectators with their skills. With the third edition underway, chief executive officer (CEO) Raman Raheja recently opened up about the vision of this celebrated league.
LLC dates back to January 2022 when Raheja and his team identified a significant opportunity in bringing the retired cricketers back on the field. Raheja was keen on this project as he saw how millions of fans in India and globally are still infatuated over the former cricketers.
“When we started two and a half years ago, the idea was there are some 70 crore plus cricket fans in our country and as much as that outside of India. They all follow cricket so passionately, and they don’t like to lose the vision of their heroes retiring. And especially in the last few years we’ve seen cricket become so physically competitive,” Raheja told in an exclusive conversation with CricTracker.
Raheja also explained that during the initial days of building the tournament, the main challenge was to bring similar fitness levels of recently retired players and legends.
“Youngsters are pushing the bar and the seniors are put on the edge even if there are five to six years of cricket left in them. So we saw that as an opportunity and that’s how we put if we bring together similar fitness level of players together and legends, they could offer five-six years of cricket left in them and engage with the fans,” he added.
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The concept quickly gained traction, starting from an initial group of 59 cricketers to almost 700 players registering for the auction in just two years of inception. The league has seen huge growth over the past couple of years and has drawn fans to stadiums to watch the legendary cricketers once again.
“So the vision started in 2022 January and today the scenario is that first we got 59 cricketers who are forced to come out of retirement and play. Today, 700 players registered for the auction. So the vision is that we have to make this our second innings of cricket. Players who see okay we are about to retire, and now they should think I think we have achieved 40 percent of that,” he further added.
Excited to have Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik on board: Raheja
LLC’s third season, which kicked off on September 20, 2024, in Jodhpur, featured an impressive line-up of cricket icons. Players like Dinesh Karthik, Shikhar Dhawan, Chris Gayle, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Suresh Raina have stepped back onto the field.
“Now you have a Shikhar Dhawan and a DK, so before they announce retirement, they come in and join us. That’s basically the vision, make it the second innings of the legends who play cricket,” the founder concluded.
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The tournament’s structure and geographical spread have been embraced by the fans. With matches scheduled across venues in Jodhpur, Surat, Jammu, and Srinagar, LLC is not only providing entertainment but also taking top-quality cricket to diverse regions of India. The final is set to be held at Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium on October 16.