Jacques Kallis announced as fourth icon of Masters Champions League

Brian Lara, Wasim Akram and Adam Gilchrist at the MCL press conference earlier in the month

Mumbai, 15th June, 2015: Former cricket champion Jacques Kallis has been announced as the fourth icon of the Masters Champions League (MCL). Kallis joins Wasim Akram, Brian Lara and Adam Gilchrist as the icon players of the league.

With a career spanning 19 years, Kallis has established himself as one of the finest all-rounders in the history of the game. He has been known to perfectly combine his batting, bowling and fielding skills, and will be an asset to the Masters Champions League (MCL).

He expressed how he loves the whole idea of the league that involves veterans of the game and how he is excited to be chosen as one of the twelve icons.

He said, “Masters Champions League is an upcoming tournament which will be hosted in the UAE. A first of its kind, the Masters Champions League (MCL) is likely to involve veterans of cricket, in some capacity a number of high-profile former international cricketers from around the world.

“The Masters Champions League has been formally approved by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), which makes it official for the International Cricket Council (ICC) as well.”

About the MCL and GM Sports

GM Sports owns the rights to the MCL and will be organizing the event in the UAE. The company is wholly owned by the Grand Midwest Group, a well-established hotel provider in the region. Promoting cricket and sport in the region is at the heart of everything GM Sports stands for.

The Masters Champions League (MCL) is an innovative and exciting Twenty20 cricket format that is set to become a global event. The brainchild of Zafar Shah, Chairman of GM Sports, the MCL aims to invigorate Twenty20 cricket by re-introducing retired cricketing greats, some of whom have never played under the Twenty20 format.

Through its involvement, GM Sports will not only provide millions of die-hard cricket fans with another chance to see their favourite stars back in the cricket arena, but it will also allow those legends to assist former teammates and comrades who face financial distress in retirement.

The MCL has already generated significant support in the region, including official approval from the Emirates Cricket Board of the UAE, and has built considerable momentum ever since its public launch on the 3rd of June in the Iconic 7* hotel, the Burj Al Arab, Dubai.