The inaugural edition of the Legends 90 League, featuring a 90-ball format, began on February 6th at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. The people of Chhattisgarh, who have long been deprived of witnessing international cricketers play at home due to their state’s late recognition in national cricket, are always thrilled to see top players. In the past, Raipur had the privilege of hosting several IPL matches, an ODI between India and New Zealand, and a Road Safety Series that included legendary cricketers.
However, the excitement appeared to be diminished by the election fervour in the state and the upcoming board examinations for students, as we noticed many empty seats in the stands. Several iconic players, such as Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, who were expected to participate in the league, did not take part, which likely disappointed fans since these athletes are legends of the shortest format of the game. Now that the tournament has reached its elimination round, let’s concentrate on the teams that have progressed this far with their consistent performances.
Eliminator DLR VS GJS
DLR bowlers exploited the surface very well. It could be stated, the match eliminator commenced later in the afternoon today, February 15, featuring Gujarat Samp Army against Delhi Royals. Gujarat won the toss and opted to field first, a decision they validated by taking early wickets that hindered the Royals’ progress.
Their openers, Lumba and Simmons, struggled to find their rhythm on a pitch that offered some help to
medium-fast bowlers. Both Subodh Bhatti and Miguel Cummins capitalized on these conditions effectively, applying pressure on the batsmen.
Valuable Partnership by Ross Taylor and Angelo Perera
Kiwi veteran Ross Taylor and Sri Lankan Angelo Perera established a solid partnership of 60 runs to help their team recover from a difficult position. However, left-arm spinner Saurin dismissed Perera by catching him off his own bowling, breaking the promising partnership.
Shortly after, Taylor, who had played some powerful shots during his innings, was caught out while attempting one big shot too many. Following his dismissal, the Royals found themselves in a challenging situation.
Cameo by Skipper Bipul Sharma finish it off well for the Royals
Bipul, a remarkable all-rounder and captain, stepped up to ensure a solid conclusion for his team with an impressive innings of 44 runs from only 17 balls, including five fours and three sixes. He was well-supported by both Bisht and Anureet Singh, allowing him to play freely.
He scored 22 runs off Navin Stewart, who bowled the final over of the first innings, helping
the Royals reach a total of 160/6(15).
Brisk Start By Gujarat Army, but not long after which they lost their way
Stylish Caribbean Leftie Chanderpaul Hemraj and Jesal Karia both began aggressively, executing some impressive shots to ease the tension for their teammates in the dressing room. However, Hemraj was caught off a well-placed slow delivery from Jerome Taylor, and on the very next ball, he had skipper Chirag Gandhi LBW, which shifted momentum in favour of the Delhi Royals. Shortly after, they also lost Karia, who had been performing well, leaving Gujarat in a precarious position.
Gujarat Succumb to the score-board pressure
After losing three quick wickets within 21 deliveries in the crucial Legends 90 League encounter, Gujarat struggled to recover, and it wasn’t hard to see their remaining batsmen came and went as their eagerness to hit big shots led to their downfall.
Only Mausif Khan managed to use the bat effectively, scoring a brisk 36 runs to salvage some pride for his team. However, it was not enough as Gujarat was bowled out for 117 in just 12.3 overs, handing victory to Delhi Royals by 43 runs.
Now, they will face the loser of Qualifier 1 on Sunday, which will determine who advances to the final of the Legends League 90 on February 17.
