3 World Cup cult heroes who are part of US Masters T10 League 2023 ft. Suresh Raina

The byte-sized T10 format has now made its foray into the United States of America courtesy of the inaugural edition of the US Masters T10.

Six teams - Atlanta Riders, California Knights, Morrisville Unity, New Jersey Triton's, New York Warriors, and Texas Chargers - will battle it out for the coveted prize with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs which will be played in IPL-style.

All matches will be played at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida. The venue played host to two of the T20Is between the West Indies and India earlier this month.

While inclement weather has been a factor, there's no denying the buzz and excitement around the tournament. Particularly with a stellar cast across the six teams headlining the same and with superstars aplenty plying their trade.

The teams are blessed with match-winners who have achieved incredible laurels for their respective countries. Some of them also happen to be World Cup winners while there are others who have gone on to etch themselves into cricketing folklore on the back of incredible performances on the grandest stage of them all.

Here, we look at three World Cup cult heroes who are partaking in the US Masters T10 2023.

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#1 Kevin O'Brien

Think Kevin O'Brien and the first thing that comes to mind is his dashing century against England in the 2011 ODI World Cup in Bengaluru. The Irish all-rounder clobbered England's bowlers all around the M Chinnaswamy Stadium en route to a 50-ball ton which remains the fastest in ODI World Cup history.

That knock went a long way in Ireland reiterating themselves as giant killers on the big stage as they chased down 328 to record the highest successful run chase in ODI World Cups. O'Brien etched himself into cricketing folklore and remains a cult hero in every true sense.

O'Brien, now 39, is part of the Morrisville Unity setup for the US Masters T10 with the team led by Indian veteran Harbhajan Singh. Expect him to unleash those big, towering sixes at will once again whenever he gets an opportunity.

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#2 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina always had a knack for stepping up under pressure (Picture Credits: Getty).

It's hard to pit Suresh Raina as a cult hero alone. There's no denying the fact that he enjoys a massive fanbase on the back of his exploits for India as well as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

But Indian cricket fans will forever be indebted to two of Raina's cameos in the 2011 World Cup. Remove his unbeaten 34 in the quarterfinal against Australia and his unbeaten 36 in the semi-final against Pakistan and it's hard to fathom how India could have possibly lifted the cup.

Incredible nerve under pressure and turning up on the big occasion is what defined Raina, who has now retired from all forms of Indian cricket.

He is captaining the California Knights in the US Masters T10 and has already given a glimpse of why he still has it in him, courtesy of a brilliant direct hit to catch Fidel Edwards short on the second day of the tournament.

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#3 Grant Elliott

A year ahead of the ODI World Cup final in 2015, Grant Elliott's sister was zeroing in on her wedding date and took into account his possible presence for the same. Of the opinion that his chances of appearing at the global event were slim, Elliott gave her the green signal, with the wedding to take place a day before the final.

Life took a pleasant turn, however, when he was the hero of New Zealand's semi-final victory in a thriller over South Africa - the country of his birth. Having flown to Melbourne to play the final against Australia, Elliott could not attend his sister's wedding.

This aside, the very nature of the semifinal which went down to the wire cast Elliott as a cult hero as New Zealand entered their maiden final in the men's cricket World Cup. Elliott also top-scored for the Blackcaps in the summit clash even as Australia brushed past them but he will forever be known for these two knocks of his.

Having retired from international cricket, Elliott is now a part of the Atlanta Riders for the US Masters T10. He will be playing under the captaincy of dashing Indian wicketkeeper-batter Robin Uthappa and will look to produce moments of magic akin to 2015.

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Which of these players will enjoy the most successful run at the US Masters T10 2023? Have your say in the comments section below!

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