5 former RCB players who are playing in the US Masters T10 League 2023 ft. Chris Gayle & Aaron Finch
The inaugural edition of the US Masters T10 League is well underway at the Central Broward Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida, which recently played host to a couple of T20Is between India and West Indies.
The newly-formed league has been an excellent avenue for the fans to witness some retired professionals lace up their boots once again, and along with it, immensely boosts the growing market in North America.
The tournament began on August 17 and is scheduled to run until August 27. A total of six franchises - Atlanta Fire, California Knights, Morrisville Unity, New Jersey Legends, New York Warriors, and Texas Chargers - will participate in the first edition in a round-robin format followed by the playoffs.
The short format has encouraged several retired players to sign up. With no ties associating them with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) since their retirement, the league has attracted a slew of former Indian players as well.
Given its connection to India, there are several players who have played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well in the past.
On that note, let us take a look at five such players in the US Masters T10 League, who have represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
#5 Praveen Kumar
The former India pacer was part of the RCB setup in the initial years of the competition. He was part of the team that made it to the finals in 2009.
The swing bowler played 38 matches across three seasons for the franchise and claimed 34 wickets to mark a memorable stint with the team, before moving on to the Kings XI Punjab (now renamed to Punjab Kings). He eventually announced his retirement in 2018.
Praveen Kumar represents the Texas Chargers in the US Masters T10 League 2023. He was not part of the playing XI that suffered a defeat at the hands of California Knights on August 19.
#4 Jacques Kallis
The legendary South African all-rounder represented RCB across the first three editions of the IPL, which included a landmark season in 2010, where he scored 572 runs. He compiled 1132 runs in 42 matches at an average of 31.44.
Jacques Kallis eventually moved on to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from the 2011 season, where he also took up a coaching role post-retirement.
He recently lit the US Masters T10 League 2023 with his renowned class after scoring an unbeaten 64 runs off 31 runs, while representing the California Knights against the Texas Chargers.
#3 Aaron Finch
The former Australia captain recently retired from international cricket and represented RCB for a solitary season in 2020, scoring 268 runs in 12 matches as the team finished fourth.
Aaron Finch is currently playing for the California Knights alongside Jacques Kallis in the US Masters T10 League 2023.
He was dismissed for a duck in his maiden appearance but has scored two consecutive fifties in the team’s most recent endeavors.
#2 Robin Uthappa
The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter has been a prominent presence in overseas leagues of late. He played in the inaugural edition of the International League T20 (ILT20) and is now leading the Atalanta Riders in the US Masters T10 League 2023.
Robin Uthappa played for RCB in 2009 and 2010 after representing the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL’s inaugural edition.
He had a memorable 2010 season as well as the Champions League T20 campaign before switching to KKR in the subsequent auction.
#1 Chris Gayle
A member of the RCB Hall of Fame, Chris Gayle is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to have represented the three-time finalists. After coming in as a replacement player in 2011, he dominated the competition, winning the Orange Cao on two occasions and setting numerous other records.
He is currently representing the Morrisville Unity in the US Masters T10 League 2023 but has not really got going so far. Gayle has compiled a string of poor scores in the team’s initial set of matches.
Other former RCB players like Misbah-ul-Haq, Aaron Finch, and Tillakaratne Dilshan are also playing in the US Masters T10 League 2023.
Who will win the inaugural edition of the US Masters T10 League 2023? Let us know what you think.