The dream of seeing cricket legends on the field once again came true with the World Championship of Legends. It is a new and unique private T20 cricket tournament, in which retired but popular cricketers from around the world took part. It is organized by the World Championship of Legends organization and approved by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The first season of World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2024 was played from July 3 to July 13, 2024 at Edgbaston Stadium (Birmingham) and County Ground (Northampton) in England. India Champions won the WCL 2024 title, defeating Pakistan Champions in the final.
The title sponsor of World Championship of Legends was EaseMyTrip, while Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn played an important role in its promotion as he invested in this legends cricket league. Ajay Devgn is the co-owner of this private tournament! Get full information in detail below:
WCL 2024 Teams and Format
In the first season of WCL, 6 teams participated. People were expecting 8 teams including New Zealand Champions and Sri Lanka Champions, but due to lack of availability of retired players + less viewership in these regions, only 6 teams selected and the name of these champions teams are:
- India Champions
- Pakistan Champions
- Australia Champions
- England Champions
- West Indies Champions
- South Africa Champions
The format of the tournament was a round-robin league, where every team played matches against each other. The top 4 teams after the league stage advanced to the semi-finals.
Tournament journey
India, Pakistan, Australia and West Indies performed brilliantly in the league matches and qualified for the semi-finals. Here’s WCL T20 points table:
| Team | M | W | L | Points | Net Run Rate |
| AUS-C | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 2.464 |
| PAK-C | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1.644 |
| WI-C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1.127 |
| IND-C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1.267 |
| SA-C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1.34 |
| ENG-C | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | -0.746 |
Semi-final 1: Pakistan Champions vs West Indies Champions
Pakistan entered the final by defeating West Indies. Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik played an important role. Pak-C scored 198/8 and WI-C got all out on 178. Pak Champions won the WCL 2024 Semi-Final 1 by 20 runs and entered the final!
Semi-final 2: India Champions vs Australia Champions
India made it to the final by defeating Australia in a thrilling match. Apart from Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan, the Indian bowlers performed brilliantly. Ind-C scored 258/6 in 20 overs and Aus-C only scored 168/7 in 20 overs and the WCL 2024 Semi Final 2 won by India Champs by 86 runs!
Final: India vs Pakistan – Another memorable match
India and Pakistan faced each other in the final played on 13 July at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham. Batting first, Pakistan Champs scored 156/6 in 20 overs runs thanks to Shoaib Malik for playing superb inning who scored 41 runs. In response, the India Champs chased the target of 157 runs in 19.1 overs and made 159/5 and India won the match by 5 wickets to win the first WCL title. Here’s video of Ind-c vs Pak-c (Final WCL 2024):
Awards and Achievements
- Player of the Series: Yusuf Pathan (India)
- Final Man of the Match: Ambati Rayudu (India)
- Best Bowler : Nathan Coulter-Nile (Australia)
- Top Wicket Taker: Nathan Coulter-Nile, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, and Brett Lee. They all took 9 Wickets.
- Best Better: Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)
- Top Run Scorers: Shoaib Malik (245 runs), Ian Bell (230 Runs), and Robin Uthappa (225 Runs)
- Best All Rounder: Shoaib Malik (Pakistan) – 9 Wickets and 245 runs
Conclusion
The World Championship of Legends 2024 once again gave cricket lovers a chance to see their favourite players in action. India’s victory made this tournament memorable. Now all eyes are on the next season, where more legendary cricketers can be a part of this competition.
- Official website of WCL: https://www.wclcricket.com/
- Streaming Platform: https://www.fancode.com/
- Live Score Check on: https://www.espncricinfo.com
If you want to see the highlights of World Championship of Legends 2024, then you can watch it on FanCode TV and Mobile app. Fancode is digital streaming partner of this league, hence all matches you can watch on this sports streaming platforms or also catch few moments on YouTube (@Fancode) too.
