Legends League Cricket 2022: Sourav Ganguly pulls out of India Maharajas vs World Giants tie

The 2022 Legends League Cricket will be played from September 16. India Maharajas is set to play an exhibition game against World Giants. However, Sourav Ganguly has pulled out of the match. Here's why.

Fans are eagerly waiting for the second season of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) to get started. The LLC 2022 begins on September 16 with an exhibition game between India Maharajas and World Giant, a particular match to celebrate India's 75 years of independence. Reigning president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sourav Ganguly, was scheduled to play in the tie and lead the Maharajas. However, he has now pulled out of the contest due to "professional commitments and continuous work with cricket administration". Nevertheless, he confirmed that he would be at Eden Gardens in Kolkata to watch the game.

"It's [Legends League Cricket] a wonderful idea of bringing retired cricketers back on the cricket field and engaging with fans across generations. However, due to my professional commitments and continuous work with cricket administration, I will not be able to participate in this game," Ganguly said in a statement to LLC.

"I am sure the fans are eagerly looking forward to this league, and there will be large crowds at the stadium. The league is bringing together the game's stalwarts, and I am sure there will be exciting cricket on display," added Ganguly. The proceedings from the match will be donated towards the Khushii Foundation of legendary former Indian skipper Kapil Dev, which takes care of female children's education.

The LLC would be a four-team event, running until October 8 and playing across five venues in India. The teams are Bhilwara Kings, Gujarat Giants, India Capitals and Manipal Tigers, led by Irfan Pathan, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. Below is the Maharajas squad:
Virender Sehwag (c), Mohammad Kaif, Yusuf Pathan, Subramanium Badrinath, Irfan Pathan, Parthiv Patel (wk), Stuart Binny, S Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Naman Ojha (wk), Ashok Dinda, Pragyan Ojha, Ajay Jadeja, RP Singh, Joginder Sharma and Reetinder Singh Sodhi