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The World Championship of Legends started earlier this week in England. Six teams, India Champions, Pakistan Champions, Australia Champions, West Indies Champions, England Champions and South Africa Champions are a part of the tournament.
India Champions have started the tournament with back-to-back wins. They beat England Champions by three wickets and followed it up with a convincing victory over West Indies Champions on Friday. The Indian squad majorly consists of well-known IPL and international cricket stars like Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Robin Uthappa and others.
The World Championship of Legends has also given a platform to the forgotten IPL stars to entertain fans once again. Here's a list of five such names:
#1 Shaun Marsh, Australia Champions
Shaun Marsh surprisingly won the Orange Cap in the first IPL tournament in 2008. Playing for the Punjab Kings, Marsh, who was an uncapped player at that time, scored 616 runs to end the tournament as the highest run-scorer.
Marsh remained a part of the Punjab-based franchise till 2017. After that, no IPL franchise showed interest in him. He retired in January this year and is now playing in the World Championship of Legends 2024.
#2 Dwayne Smith, West Indies Champions
Dwayne Smith will always have a special place in the hearts of Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings fans. He played some magnificent knocks for both franchises and also chipped in with crucial contributions in bowling.
Smith's last IPL appearance came for the Gujarat Lions in 2017. He retired from international cricket that year as well. Right now, he's representing the West Indies Champions team in the World Championship of Legends.
#3 Anureet Singh, India Champions
India Champions team majorly comprises of capped plaayers, but there are a couple of uncapped names in the squad as well. One of them is Anureet Singh, who played for Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
The pacer is best remembered for his heroics in the Punjab jersey in the 2015 season. He bagged 15 wickets in 14 matches that year, including the scalps of Ajinkya Rahane, Deepak Hooda, Yuvraj Singh, Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli.
Having retired from IPL and domestic cricket, Anureet is now playing in the World Championship of Legends.
#4 Ryan McLaren, South Africa Champions
Quite a few South African players have become immensely popular after performing well in the IPL. The likes of AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, Faf du Plessis, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Chris Morris and others gained fame, thanks to their extraordinary performances in the IPL.
Ryan McLaren was one of the most underrated players from the rainbow nation. He had stints with KKR, MI and PBKS in the IPL, with his best performances coming in 2011 for Punjab, where he scalped five wickets and scored 90 runs, including one half-century, in six games.
McLaren even opened the batting with Sachin Tendulkar for MI. He's now playing for the South Africa Champions in the World Championship of Legends 2024.
#5 Ravi Bopara, England Champions
Ravi Bopara is one of the few overseas players to record a half-century and take a three-wicket haul in the IPL. The Indian origin England all-rounder represented Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
Notably, Bopara won the Man of the Match award in a league match between Punjab and RCB in 2009, where he scoed 84 runs and helped Punjab chase a 170-run target in 19 overs.
Having retired from professional cricket, Bopara is now donning the England Champions jersey in the World Championship of Legends.
