Srinagar: The famous Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar came alive this afternoon with the first ever Legends League Cricket (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 like such as Martin Guptill and Dinesh Karthik from Southern Super Stars, alongside Suresh Raina and Stuart Binny from Toyam Hyderabad, have already arrived in Srinagar, fuelling excitement in the region.
The Southern Superstars, led by Karthik are up against a formidable Toyam Hyderabad side under Raina’s leadership. Fans will also see players like Kedar Jadhav, Pawan Negi, Parthiv Patel, and Shaun Marsh grace the field.
Adil Nazir, a local athlete said that it is really a big event in Srinagar as international cricket has returned after such a long gap. “Its really a proud moment for the cricket fans to see international starts playing in Srinagar,” he said.
The Bakshi Stadium was choosen over Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium as it has 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.
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. “We have laid a multi-layer security grid for the security of international starts and the venue,” a senior police officer overseeing the security arrangements said.
The first match attracted crowd in thousands that include youth, girls, elderly and middle-aged people who could be seen waiting in queues outside the Stadium to get tickets.
“This is indeed a great opportunity to see international starts playing cricket in Srinagar. We have been watching them on TV but today they are in our city. So we thought not to leave this opportunity,” said Iqra Bhat, a young cricket lover—(News Vibes of India)
