Ricky Ponting, David Warner Join Australian Cricket Team For Upcoming T20 Tournament

Ricky Ponting and David Warner [Source: AFP]

The World Championship of Legends, ahead of their upcoming season, revealed “Australia Champions: A New Era” at a media press conference held at Eureka 89 in Melbourne. The event had multiple legends joining, with Ricky Ponting holding a special position in the tournament.

Australian cricketer David Warner also joined the league to represent the veterans and was named captain of one of the six teams that are set to play in the World Championship of Legends.

Ricky Ponting set to join Australia Champions as owner

In a breaking development, Ponting, the world-class former captain of the Kangaroos, has joined as the franchise owner of Australia Champions ahead of WCL season 3.

Ponting will join the ownership group alongside Puneet Singh to oversee the happenings in the franchise, and he is also excited about the development.

“I'm excited to be part of Australia Champions and the World Championship of Legends. With Puneet and the team, and David leading from the front, we have a great opportunity to build something special for Australian cricket fans,” Ricky Ponting shared at the press conference.

Interestingly, this will be Ricky Ponting’s first venture as an owner of a franchise in cricket. Ahead of this exclusive role, Ponting was mainly intertwined with his professional duties as a coach or mentor of various leagues across the world, including the IPL.

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David Warner named captain of Australia Champions

Australia had a poor WCL 2 season where they finished third on the points table but won only 2 of the 5 matches they played. After the team’s loss, the team management decided to bring in a new captain for the team, removing Brett Lee.

Hence, David Warner was appointed the skipper of the squad for the latest season while also arriving as the latest marquee addition to the Australia Champions squad.  

“I'm really excited to lead Australia Champions in WCL Season 3. There's nothing better than getting back out there, playing alongside some greats of the game and giving the fans plenty to cheer about,” Warner shared.

David Warner’s most recent exploits have been in the PSL 2026, though. Playing for Karachi Kings, Warner bagged 256 runs @ 51.20 while striking at 147.98. WCL season 3 will mark the debut of the Australian in the tournament who last played an international match in June 2024. 

Australia’s performance in the World Championship of Legends so far

In the 2024 edition of the World Championship of Legends, Australia finished first on the points table but failed to qualify for the final. 

After dominating South Africa, England, and India in the group stage, they eventually lost to India Champions in the second semi-final by a massive margin, with Brett Lee leading the team against Yuvraj Singh's India.

In Season 2, Australia started well against the West Indies and India but then suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of Pakistan and South Africa. 

Again, Brett Lee's team lost in Birmingham during the second semi-final, which knocked them out of the tournament, with the Proteas being led by AB de Villiers, lifting the trophy against Pakistan.

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