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Previously known as Bhilwara Kings, Konark Suryas Odisha will be hoping to start their campaign as a renamed entity on a strong note.

A total of 25 matches will be played among the six teams and the last two teams standing will play an electrifying final on October 16. The franchise-based tournament, featuring a pool of over 200 players, will unfold across four cities − Jodhpur, Surat, Jammu and finally bring cricket back to Srinagar after 40 long years.

“Legends League Cricket is an exceptional platform for cricketing talent and this season will be more exciting as I welcome Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik along with Ambati Rayudu. Looking forward to kicking off the league in Jodhpur from the 20th of this month,” said Suresh Raina, captain of Toyam Hyderabad.

“I am really excited to play competitive cricket once again at the Legends League Cricket. I have watched the matches before and the level of cricket is extraordinary. Happy to be playing with Irfan Pathan for the Konark Suryas Odisha and I’m sure that there will be great matches for the fans to witness.” said, Ambati Rayudu of Konark Suryas Odisha.

In a press conference earlier on Tuesday, Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina officially announced Krasa International Private Limited as the title sponsor of the Legends League Cricket.

Legends League Cricket will kick off at the Barkatullah Khan Stadium, Jodhpur on Friday, making its way to the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, Surat on September 27. The third leg will be played at the Maulana Azad Stadium, Jammu from October 3 where international cricket made a comeback after 40 years with the fans finally getting the chance to watch their favourite cricketing heroes live in action.

The ultimate leg of the LLC will be played at the Bakshi Stadium, Srinagar from October 9 to 16 where the fans have eagerly waited for close to half a century to watch cricketing action live.

Final Fixtures:

Jodhpur

Sep 20: Konark Suryas Odisha vs Manipal Tigers

Sep 21: India Capitals vs Hyderabad Team

Sep 22: Manipal Tigers vs Gujarat Team

Sep 23: Southern Superstars vs Gujarat Team

Sep 24: REST DAY

Sep 25: Hyderabad Team vs Southern Superstars

Sep 26: Southern Superstars vs Gujarat Team

Surat:

Sep 27: Konark Suryas Odisha vs Manipal Tigers

Sep 28: Hyderabad Team vs Gujarat Team

Sep 29: India Capitals vs Konark Suryas Odisha

Sep 30: India Capitals vs Manipal Tigers

Oct 1: Manipal Tigers vs Southern Superstars

Oct 2: Konark Suryas Odisha vs Southern Superstars

Jammu:

Oct 3: Manipal Tigers vs Hyderabad Team

Oct 4: India Capitals vs Konark Suryas Odisha

Oct 5: Hyderabad Team vs Gujarat Team

Oct 6: India Capitals vs Southern Superstars

Oct 6: Konark Suryas Odisha vs Hyderabad Team

Oct 7: India Capitals vs Gujarat Team

Oct 8: REST DAY

Srinagar:

Oct 9: Hyderabad Team vs Southern Superstars

Oct 10: India Capitals vs Manipal Tigers

Oct 11: Konark Suryas Odisha vs Gujarat Team

Oct 12: Qualifier (Position 1 vs Position 2)

Oct 13: Eliminator (Position 3 vs Position 4)

Oct 14: Semifinal (Loser Qualifier vs Eliminator Winner)

Oct 15: REST DAY

Oct 16: FINAL (Winner Qualifier vs Winner Semis)

--IANS

Harmanpreet Singh, the captain, who led India to a bronze medal in Paris, was named the Hero of the Tournament. He scored at crucial stages and also set up the winning goal in the final.

Chief coach Fulton said, "It was tough for us, a good one in the end. We had to work hard, it was a really good fight. Seven games and we played some good hockey but we just couldn't score tonight but we got the result in the end."

Fulton added, “It has been a roller-coaster ride, Paris and what happened there and just eight days with the family. To come here with a young group and some new players, the boys were tired but we found a way and that's always the sign of a good team," said the coach who guided India to a bronze medal in the Paris Olympic Games. India bagged back-to-back medals at the Olympic Games for the first time since the 1972 Munich Games.

Fulton added that this team could go a long way and there was enough talent to build a solid unit for the future.

Skipper Harmanpreet was also thrilled with the result as it showed the next lot was ready to take on the responsibility as India prepared for bigger challenges.

India’s full results in the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament:

Match 1: India 3-0 China (India: Sukhjeet Singh 14’, Uttam Singh 27’, Abhishek 32’)

Match 2: India 5-1 Japan (India: Sukhjeet Singh 2’, 60’, Abhishek 2’, Sanjay 17’, Uttam Singh 54’; Japan: Matsumoto Kazumasa 41’)

Match 3: India 8-1 Malaysia (India: Raj Kumar Pal 3’, 25’, 33’, Araijeet Singh Hundal 6’, 39’, Jugraj Singh 7’, Harmanpreet Singh 22’, Uttam Singh 40’; Malaysia: Akhimullah Anuar 11’)

Match 4: India 3-1 South Korea (India: Harmanpreet Singh 9’, 43’, Araijeet Singh Hundal 8’; South Korea: Jihun Yang 30’)

Match 5: India 2-1 Pakistan (India: Harmanpreet Singh 13’, 19’; Pakistan: Ahmad Nadeem 8’)

Semi-final: India 4-1 South Korea (India: Harmanpreet Singh 19’, 45’, Uttam Singh 13’, Jarmanpreet Singh 32’; South Korea: Yang Ji-Hun 33’)

Final: India 1-0 China (India: Jugraj Singh 51’).

--IANS

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Raina's strategy is driven by the nature of the Chennai pitch, which he expects to favor spinners due to its black soil composition. He proposed selecting Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav as the spin trio, alongside fast bowlers Mohammad Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.

"I believe India should go with five bowling options, that is three spinners and two pacers. Mohammad Siraj has been doing very well in the past few years in Red ball cricket, we all know how good Jasprit Bumrah is, and what he has done for the Indian cricket team in the past few years barely any fast bowlers in the world of cricket has done. So with two pacers and Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav India should go ahead," Raina told IANS in the backdrop of the LLC press conference.

"Ashwin and Jadeja combination on Indian pitches is the most deadly combination so with the condition that Chennai pitch offers, the black soil, humid conditions and the winds they will just unsettle the opponents," he added.

India, currently leading the World Test Championship (WTC) standings with a 68.52 percent rating, is looking to solidify their position at the top. The series against Bangladesh is crucial as it precedes Test series against New Zealand and Australia.

Raina acknowledged that while his suggestion is based on pitch conditions and current form, the final decision rests with Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who will assess the best combination for the team.

Raina welcomed former teammates Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik to the third edition of the Legends League Cricket. "I would like to welcome Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik to the Legends League Cricket, we all have been playing cricket since 1998, and it's good that we will play cricket again."

The Legends League Cricket (LLC) is set to return for the third edition with former India stars Dinesh Karthik and Shikhar Dhawan, the two latest entrants taking part in the tournament, signed directly by the respective teams Southern Superstars and Team Gujarat.

Harbhajan Singh-led defending champions Manipal Tigers will take on the Konark Suryas Odisha (previously known as Bhilwara Kings) captained by Irfan Pathan at the Barkatullah Khan Stadium, Jodhpur on September 20.

--IANS

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