Cricketing legends to participate in CCL 2017
The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) has roped in some of the game’s legends for its seventh edition to be held in January next year, and has also proposed major changes to its playing format in a bid to resemble the once hugely popular Hong Kong Sixes tournament.
According to reports, Virender Sehwag, Brian Lara, Andrew Symonds, Daniel Vettori, Kumar Sangakkara, Jacques Kallis, Jonty Rhodes and Zaheer Khan are among the former international cricketers who will figure in the tournament along with movie stars.
The CCL consists of six teams, each representing a film industry. According to CCL founder Vishnu Vardhan Induri, every team will consist of three movie stars and three cricketers in every match of the upcoming season.
The Hong Kong Sixes had a similar format and was operational for 20 years before being scrapped in 2012 due to lack of sponsors.
Vishnu Vardhan also announced that the two-time defending champions Telugu Warriors would play their first matches on Jan 28 and 29. Revenues and viewership for the CCL have steadily increased since its inception six years ago. Matches are usually played over weekends in January and February each year in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Ranchi and on occasions in Sharjah and Dubai.