Much like club football dominates international soccer far and wide, T20 franchise cricket over a period of time has been gathering steam with speed galore in the annals of Indian and Global cricket.

Each country in the gamut of the cricketing ecosystem, now boasts its own franchise tournament, with the IPL reigning as the ultimate coveted championship.

Perhaps, such is the craze for these T20 tournaments that one can’t keep ex-stalwarts, the likes of Chris Gayle, HerschelleGibbs, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina to name a few, away from their favourite love for too long.

They have proved time and again not only in franchise cricket, but also for their respective countries, the domination they have showcased in this format.

Well, the time has come to see these epicons (epic cricketers and icons in their own right) back in action as The Board for Veteran Cricket in India (BVCI) is all geared up to launch the Indian Veteran Premier League (IVPL), beginning thisFriday, February 23 at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, a scenic, state of the art cricket stadium in Greater Noida.

Yes, these veterans with other renowned names like Munaf Patel, Dan Christian, Asghar Afghan, Sreesanth and Thisara Perera will fight for the coveted title with the tournament boasting six franchises covering the length and breadth of the country.

The franchises that will add the much-needed vigour to the tournament are:

1. Red Carpet Delhi led by Herschelle Gibbs

2. Mumbai Champions steered by Virender Sehwag

3. VVIP Uttar Pradesh championed by Suresh Raina

4. Telangana Tigers marched on by Chris Gayle

5. Chhattisgarh Warriors captained by Munaf Patel

6. Rajasthan Legends marshalled by Angelo Perera

Each franchise will play the other once across the round robin format, with the top four teams qualifying for the semifinals on 2^nd March followed by the finale on 3^rd.

Apart from these folklore personifications, the tournament will also pave the way for the Indian talent who played cricket at various levels in its heydays but was always enthused about returning to the ground , many among them who much like a Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have either represented their country or many who’ve already played at regional/ state levels.

The tournament will surely be enthused with excitementgalore, well, it has to be, when one would witness the out of the park hitting of Gayle, the aggression of Sehwag, the sublimity of Raina and the majestic stroke play of Gibbs, giving this extravaganza the eye balls it needs.

Amidst the thunderous applause and unwavering spirit, one would definitely hope that the echoes of the IVPL resound in the annals of cricketing history forever.

So, tune in everyday, starting 23^rd February till 3^rd March at 2pm and 7pm on Eurosport, DD Sports, and Fancode as every ball of the IVPL will be a tale of triumph for some and torment for others.