With a number of T20 tournaments being played all over the world, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) introduced a new style of T20 tournament where retired players come together to play at one place. There are already a few such leagues happening every year. This league is known as the World Championship of Legends and is organised and run by the ECB.
A total of six teams played in the inaugural season. It had some of the most iconic faces, like Shahid Afridi, Brett Lee, Yuvraj Singh, Jacques Kallis, Chris Gayle, Dale Steyn, Kevin Pietersen, Younis Khan, Harbhajan Singh, and many more. A total of 18 matches were played in the tournament, which was played in a round-robin format. The tournament was played between July 3 and July 13.
World Championship of Legends 2024: Teams and their captains
A total of six different teams took part in the competition, which are mentioned below with their respective captains.
1. India Champions – Yuvraj Singh
2. Pakistan Champions – Younis Khan
3. Australia Champions – Brett Lee
4. West Indies Champions – Darren Sammy
5. England Champions – Kevin Pietersen
6. South Africa Champions – Jacques Kallis
Read more: Points Table of WCL (World Championship of Legends) 2024
World Championship of Legends 2024: Owners
The World Championship of Legends is crowned by Harshit Rana and Ajay Devgan. Harshit is a famous Indian celebrity who is single, an actor, and a lyricist. Meanwhile, Ajay Devgan is one of the leading stars in the Bollywood industry, having done over 100 films until now. The World Championship of Legends 2024 is sponsored by EaseMyTrip.
Who won the World Championship Legends 2024?
The final was played on July 13 between India Champions and Pakistan Champions at Edgbaston in Birmingham. India made it to the final after beating Australia, while Pakistan won against West Indies in the first semi-final. The game started with Pakistan winning the toss and deciding to bowl first. The last time these two teams met in the group stage, Pakistan won by posting well over the 230-run mark.
But this time, India bowled well to restrict them to 156/6. Shoaib Malik scored 41 off 36 and was the top scorer for his team. In reply, India had a great start. Ambati Rayudu made 50 off 30 at the top, and Gurkreet Mann scored 34 off 33. In the end, Yusuf Pathan scored an unbeaten 30 off 16 to take India to victory. India made 159/5 in 19.1 overs to win the inaugural season world championship legends cricket league, and Pakistan finished as runners-up.
World Championship of Legends 2024: Top scorers in WCL cricket league
- Here are the top five scorers for the tournament.
- Shoaib Malik (PAK) – 245 runs in 7 matches
- Ian Bell (ENG) – 230 runs in 5 Matches
- Robin Uthappa (IND) – 225 runs in 7 matches
- Sharjeel Khan (PAK) – 221 runs in 7 matches
- Yusuf Pathan (IND) – 221 runs in 7 matches
World Championship of Legends 2024: Top wicket-takers in WCL
- Nathan Coulter Nile (AUS) – 9 wickets in 6 matches
- Wahab Riaz (PAK) – 9 wickets in 7 matches
- Shoaib Malik (PAK) – 9 wickets in 7 matches
- Brett Lee (AUS) – 9 wickets in 6 matches
- Harbhajan Singh (IND) – 8 wickets in 7 matches
