All You Need To Know About The Asian Legends T20 League

Most teams are still in the process of finalising their squads. What we do know with certainty for now is each team has been assigned one Icon player, who will be the face. Indian Royals will be led by Irfan Pathan, the former India all-rounder. Pathan is a recognizable face worldwide in cricket circles, not just as a player but now as a renowned expert and commentator. Since retirement four years ago, Pathan has been a regular across various tournaments for retired stars.

Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga will lead the Sri Lankan Lions. The former left-hand batter, who formed a fearsome opening combination with Sanath Jayasuriya in the late 2000s and early 2010s, is also currently serving as the chairman of the senior men’s selection committee. Tharanga, in his day, was a destructive batter who epitomized the see-ball hit-ball philosophy. He wasn’t big on footwork but made 15 ODI hundreds with a technique that was unique to him. Overall, he represented Sri Lanka in over 200 ODIs.

He resembles a Bollywood hero of the 1970s with his long hair and long locks, but he could hit the cricket ball hard and far. Asghar Afghan leads the Afghanistan Pathans. Arguably one of the best captains for the country, Afghan burst onto the scene in 2010 at the T20 World Cup that year and rose to prominently become their captain a few years down the line. He led them in their inaugural Test against India in 2018 in Bengaluru, and a year later, led Afghanistan to a historic maiden Test win against Ireland in Dehradun. He also played the 50-over World Cup the same year. In 2021, Afghans retired from all forms of cricket following their T20 World Cup campaign in Australia.

Bangladesh’s enigma, Mohammad Ashraful, leads the Tigers. He burst onto the scene as a precociously talented teenager who hit a century on Test debut in Sri Lanka. He became part of folklore when he scripted a stunning win for Bangladesh against Australia at Cardiff in 2005. He had the game to get people flocking to venues. He was a blockbuster. But a promising carer came to an abrupt halt due to his involvement in match fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League. In recent times, he’s been working as a TV expert and coach. Still only 39, Ashraful has the game and the fitness to turn up and win for his team.

Mohammad Irfan, arguably one of the tallest to have taken the field in his time, lines up to be the icon of Pakistan Stars. The seven-foot-tall Irfan troubled some of the best batters with his ability to hustle them inside the crease with his deceptive pace and disconcerting bounce. In helpful conditions, he married this with the ability to move the ball both ways. He was an integral part of Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan team in the mid-2010s when he formed a potent pace combination with Junaid Khan and Mohammad Amir. He picked up 83 ODI wickets in 60 games and hit the high notes during the tour of India in 2012-13, where he troubled some pedigreed batters like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh.

However, the lack of hotel options to accommodate massive television and camera crews, players, commentators, and match officials has somewhat put the venue down the pecking order. However, for a tournament of this magnitude spanning just eight days, the organizers are confident of pulling off all logistical challenges there may be.

The effect of dew is also largely minimal at the venue during the early summers. The 2:30 PM starts could see smaller totals due to the dryness of the surface and heat.

The tournament opens on March 6, with Bangladesh Tigers taking on Afghanistan Pathans at 2:30 PM local time. Indian Royals will then square off against Sri Lankan Lions in a blockbuster evening clash at 6:30 PM to end the opening day double-headers.

All teams, barring Indian Royals, will be in action in Sunday’s double-header on March 17. There will be three more double-header days from Monday to Wednesday leading into the playoffs. The grand finale will be held at 6:30 PM local time on Sunday, March 24. The blockbuster India v Pakistan match in this tournament will be played on March 19 at 6:30 PM.

Each team plays the other four in the round-robin stage before the playoff rounds.