Srinagar, Oct 9 (IANS) After a gap of 40 years, sports lovers in J&K’s Srinagar city got a chance to see international cricket players play the gentleman’s game as the 3rd edition of Legends League Cricket (LLC) started here on Wednesday.
The famous Bakshi Stadium in the city came alive this afternoon with the first-ever LLC match with international players playing first time in Srinagar after a gap of 40 years.
The first match started at 3 pm between Toyam Hyderabad and Southern Super Stars.
International stars Martin Guptill and Dinesh Karthik from Southern Super Stars, alongside Suresh Raina and Stuart Binny from Toyam Hyderabad, were seen in action at the Stadium by scores of cricket lovers playing a day and night match.
Southern Super Stars are playing against a formidable Toyam Hyderabad side under Raina’s leadership. Cricket lovers saw players like Kedar Jadhav, Pawan Negi, Parthiv Patel, and Shaun Marsh grace the field.
Bakshi Stadium was chosen over Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium as it has a 30,000-seating capacity. The ground, which was primarily a football stadium, has been revamped with the help of international pitch experts to meet cricketing standards.
The Legends League tournament kicked off on September 20 in Jaipur and in Srinagar, the League will be playing its last leg of six matches.
Seven LLC matches will be played here from October 9 to October 16.
Apart from today’s clash, Bakshi Stadium will host matches featuring other iconic cricket legends, including Ian Bell, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Shikhar Dhawan, and Chris Gayle over the next week. The matches are being played under tight security cover by the police and other security agencies.
“It is all play, fun and excitement for both cricket lovers and the players at the Bakshi Stadium as we have put in place a flawless security arrangement that protects the viewers and the players without being over-bearing or interfering with the mood and movement of the viewers.
“It is a privilege to see such international sports events taking place in Srinagar city given the overwhelming response by the cricket fans of Kashmir,” said a senior police officer overlooking security during the LLC matches.
–IANS
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