Cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara will take guard once again when the inaugural edition of the International Masters League (IML) kicks off on November 17 with India facing off against Sri Lanka at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Over 18 matches spanning three weeks, the IML will bring together cricketers from six countries—India, Sri Lanka, Australia, England, South Africa, and West Indies—in an annual T20 franchise tournament. With Sunil Gavaskar as league commissioner, the inaugural edition will run from November 17 to December 8. League Ambassador Sachin Tendulkar will lead India.
The league is the brainchild of Gavaskar and Tendulkar in collaboration with sports management company PMG Sports (a JV involving Gavaskar, the directors of Madison World and SelVel Advertising) and Sportfive, a global sports marketing agency.
Besides Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara, the IML will feature cricket icons such as Brian Lara (West Indies), Shane Watson (Australia), Eoin Morgan (England), and Jacques Kallis (South Africa).
The opening leg will see four matches before the action shifts to Lucknow and Raipur, with the final set to take place on December 8, at Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium.