Mumbai

To promote amateur cricket and give an opportunity to budding talent to excel at the world stage, the AB de Villiers-backed Last Man Stands (LMS) on Tuesday launched a franchise-based India Super League 2023 to be held early next year.

The first edition of The LMS India Super League 2023, claimed to be the world's largest amateur T20 cricket league, will be held between March 17 and 22, 2023 in New Delhi.

South African cricket legend and former Royal Challengers Bangalore star AB de Villiers is the global ambassador of LMS.

The franchise-style cricket tournament for amateurs, to be held annually, will provide a unique opportunity for up-and-coming cricketers from all over India including Tier 2, 3 and 4 cities and rural areas to showcase their talent alongside players from larger Indian cities.

Each franchise-owned team will be allowed a squad of 11 players. The winning team will go on to represent India at the Last Man Stands World Champs in Cape Town, South Africa in December 2023.

The World Champs sees a significant number of global teams competing to win the title of best LMS team in the world each year.

Last Man Stands has specifically designed an innovative game format with exciting new rules and global ranking systems. Its unique T20 format includes a 2-hour game with eight players per side, allowing upcoming players to participate and get a taste of playing professional modern-day cricket.

Of the 24-city-based franchises, LMS has sold nine non-tender franchisees so far and is hoping to get owners for the remaining soon.

Founded in London in 2005 by South Africans, Wayne Greve and Bjorn Briggs, Last Man Stands is the world's largest and widest-reaching amateur cricket league.

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It is recognisable in cricket grounds globally by its distinctive coloured kits and organises cricket leagues for over 200,000 players and 20,000+ matches every year. They have franchise operations in countries such as India, Australia, South Africa, England, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the USA, Canada, Sweden and Singapore.