Sourav Ganguly to not charge money for LLC's special match celebrating 75 years of India's Independence

The organizers of Legends League Cricket (LLC) announced that a special match would be played to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence Day on September 16, a day before the start of the competition. Sourav Ganguly, who is set to appear in the game, will not be charging any money for the match, confirmed the CEO of the league, Raman Raheja.

The match will be played between India maharajas and World Giants at Eden Gardens, and Ganguly will lead India Maharajas. World Giants, on the other hand, will be led by the 2019 World Cup-winning captain, Eoin Morgan. 

Ganguly had initially told on record that he would not participate in the LLC. But only a few days later, he confirmed that he would be part of the league. This drew criticism from fans, alleging that it was money that influenced the BCCI President’s decision. “No, Sourav Ganguly is not charging anything for this match,” said CEO of LLC, Raman Raheja as quoted by My Khel.”

We would not like to call it a charity match: Raman Raheja

“This is a special match dedicated to the 75th year of Independence. We are working on some special issues that would be supported by the league. We would not like to call it a charity match,” added Raheja. A group called ‘Active Forum for Justice’ raised some questions over the involvement of the former India captain in the league in an email addressed to BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

The email read, “BCCI is a trust and Mr. Sourav Ganguly is the President in an ‘office of no profit’. How is then Ganguly charging money to play in Legends League Cricket T20 (LLC T20) whose founder and MD Raman Raheja is blacklisted by ICC for previous financial irregularities in 2019.” They also questioned Ganguly’s decision to play in the league and his association with the Raheja. The CEO of LLC, however, refused to respond to the allegations that were made against him.