The highly anticipated International Masters League (IML) is ready to take the world of cricket by storm, featuring legendary players from six cricketing powerhouses: India, Sri Lanka, Australia, England, South Africa, and the West Indies. This T20 franchise tournament, set to run from November 17 to December 8, will bring together iconic cricket captains, with India’s Sachin Tendulkar leading the charge for his nation. The action-packed event will see 18 thrilling matches unfold across multiple venues in India, blending nostalgia with high-energy cricket.

The tournament will kick off on November 17 at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai with an exciting fixture between India and Sri Lanka, rekindling the legendary rivalry between Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. This will be followed by a second match featuring Australia, led by Shane Watson, against Jacques Kallis’ South Africa. Other thrilling fixtures will include West Indies, captained by Brian Lara, taking on Eoin Morgan's England, ensuring fans are in for a treat of world-class cricket from their favorite legends.

Captains ready to lead their teams

Iconic cricket stars will lead their respective teams in the IML, bringing their unparalleled experience and competitive spirit to the T20 format. Captains include Sachin Tendulkar (India), Brian Lara (West Indies), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Shane Watson (Australia), Eoin Morgan (England), and Jacques Kallis (South Africa). With the tournament spread across key Indian cities, cricket lovers can expect exhilarating action as these legends reignite their historic rivalries on the field.

India's cricket legend and IML Ambassador, Sachin Tendulkar, shared his enthusiasm about the upcoming league: “I am excited to lead and represent India Masters in the IML. The action on the field will undoubtedly be competitive and exciting. All the players are thrilled to be part of this league, and it's a great opportunity to inspire the next generation while celebrating the sport we love.”

Brian Lara, captain of the West Indies team, added, “It’s going to be amazing to step back onto the field with such a talented group of players. The format is fast and exciting—exactly what the fans want.”

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Venues and schedule set for IML action

The IML matches will take place in three venues across India, beginning at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, where four matches will be held. The action then moves to Lucknow’s Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee (BRSABV) Ekana Cricket Stadium on November 21, with India taking on South Africa. Six matches will be played in Lucknow before the league shifts to Raipur, which will host eight matches, including the semi-finals and the grand finale on December 8.

League Commissioner Sunil Gavaskar stated, “It’s a wonderful opportunity for these stalwarts to showcase their skills and prove that they are still at the top of their game. Fans can expect exciting contests that will keep them on the edge of their seats.”

The league will crown its first-ever champion at the final in Raipur, where the best teams will battle for glory. The event promises to be a memorable celebration of cricket, with fans reliving iconic moments and enjoying top-class competition from their favorite legends.

During the tournament, fans can expect a balanced format with innings breaks providing moments to recap the action, analyze key performances, and gear up for the thrilling second half. With cricket icons back in action, the excitement will be palpable both on the field and in the stands.

Former Australia as well as Chennai all-rounder Shane Watson shared that he believes the Chennai Super Kings won’t hesitate to send MS Dhoni higher up the batting order, if needed in their much-awaited IPL 2024 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on Friday, April 5.

CSK lost their last game to DC

However, Watson said that CSK back different things and expressed confidence that they will bounce back from the defeat in their previous game as well. Notably, Chennai are placed in the top 4 of the IPL 2024 points table early in the season, having won two of their first three games as well. The Super Kings were lost to Delhi in Visakhapatnam on March 31 as they failed to chase 192 on a good batting pitch as well.

Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and his opening partner Rachin Ravindra failed to score well at the top and Chennai were playing catch-up in their chase against Delhi, who opened their account in IPL 2024 after facing a MS Dhoni scare as he smashed an unbeaten 17-ball 36 with 3 sixes and 4 boundaries.

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“CSK will be learning from the little things that went wrong against the Delhi in their last game and make the most of the things that went incredibly well. One thing was Dhoni, the way he batted, coming in late in the game, which will mean that hopefully, he’ll move up the order when an opportunity presents itself, because he batted as well as I’ve seen him for a long time,” Shane Watson told JioCinema.

MS Dhoni played a swashbuckling knock

“The lessons that CSK learned, that’s the reason why they’ve been so successful for so long because they’ll find out little elements they need to get better, they need to execute better and where they went wrong and they’ll learn from that. So they’ll be ready to go against Hyderabad,” he further added.

However, Chennai Super Kings have a good head-to-head record against the SunRisers Hyderabad with a 14-5 record, but the 5-time IPL Title winner will face a tough test against SunRisers who will be keen on bouncing back in the winning zone after their defeat to Gujarat in Ahmedabad. On the other hand, SRH will be confident to leave a mark at home after registering the IPL record for the highest total – 277 against Mumbai Indians as well.

The CSK vs RR rivalry is one which goes back a long way but is often unspoken about. Both sides were in the first ever IPL Final, both have trophies and both teams have a handful of wins against each other. While the Rajasthan Royals may not have the best record overall in the IPL, they have often come out on top against the Chennai Super Kings when not many sides expected them too.

CSK vs RR, IPL Finals 2008

The first thrilling encounter between the two sides was the 2008 IPL Finals. RR came into the match as underdogs against a side full of superstars. Having won the toss and choosing to chase, RR conceded 163 runs. Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni threatened to take the game away from the Royals as both got decent starts, while Dhoni gave a strong finishing kick.

With a stiff chase in a high-pressure game at that time, Yusuf Pathan bailed the Rajasthan Royals out. He made a half-century, while Shane Warne took his side home on the last ball of the game, capping off a thrilling CSK vs RR encounter.

CSK vs RR, Chennai 2010

CSK came into the game against Rajasthan Royals with a lot of work to do. They needed a string of wins to qualify and had lost their previous encounter against the Royals in the same season. With a tough ask ahead though, the Chennai Super Kings batting line-up stepped up and did the job for the Chennai Super Kings. Murali Vijay came out that day and batted the Royals out of the game. He scored 127 runs in an innings with 11 hits over the boundary, and his partnership with Albie Morkel took the Chennai Super Kings to a mammoth 246.

The score was big, but the game was not over yet. The Rajasthan Royals showed some fight themselves and made a valiant effort to reach the target. Naman Ojha responded to Murali Vijay with a 94 of his own while Shane Watson matched Albie Morkel with a 25 ball 60. The knocks though were not enough as lack of contributions from the others saw RR fall 23 runs short in this CSK vs RR encounter.

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CSK vs RR Pune 2018

Unlike in 2010, this time around Rajasthan Royals were in need of a desperate turnaround. They came into this game needing a string of wins to qualify and were made to field first. Like in 2008, Suresh Raina threatened to take the game away from Rajasthan while MS Dhoni gave a finishing kick of his own. The Chennai Super Kings though were restricted in the middle-overs thanks to Ish Sodhi and eventually ended at 176.

The target was still a steep one on a slow Pune track. Jos Buttler though, promoted up the order played an innings that changed his career. He attacked and batted till the last over to seal the game in the penultimate ball. He finished with 95, and his tournament took an upward curve from that game as he cemented his spot as an opener for both Rajasthan and England.

CSK vs RR, Jaipur 2019

The CSK vs RR game in 2019 saw one of the more controversial IPL events take place. The game was a nail-biter, overshadowed by an event in the final over. Chasing 151, CSK made a meal of the chase losing four early wickets. A partnership which saw Rayudu and Dhoni make fifties bought CSK back in the game, but the task was still a stiff one as the game reached its final over.

With 18 needed of six balls, Ben Stokes probably bowled one of the most eventful final overs in the IPL. The first ball saw Ravindra Jadeja hit a six as he and Ben Stokes both fell onto the pitch during the delivery. There was a no-ball and then a perfect Yorker which saw Dhoni get bowled. The very next ball, there was another controversy as a no-ball was called by one umpire for height, while the square leg umpire said it wasn’t a no-ball.

Amid all the confusion, MS Dhoni walked out to see what was going on and in the end the no-ball was revoked. With three needed of the final delivery, Mitchell Santner cleared the ropes, sealing what was a very thrilling encounter between the two sides.