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Published 13:34 IST, January 5th 2021

Is Shane Watson IPL's LeBron James? Fans react on social media to Kolkata team's claim

Shane Watson, Sunil Narine & Andre Russell are the only players in the history of the IPL to have won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season twice.

Reported by: Jatin Malu
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Over the years, Indian Premier League has had several breakout stars who have put in splendid performances in a season but have failed to replicate the same performances later. However, there are also players who have been consistent season after season and been extremely crucial in their side's success. Three such cricketers are Shane Watson, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell who are the only players in the history of the league to have won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season twice.

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Kolkata IPL franchise likens Shane Watson to LeBron James

Referring to the same, the Kolkata IPL franchise took to Instagram and compared the IPL's two-time MVPs to NBA's top MVPs. They compared Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6 MVPs in 20 years), Michael Jordan (5 MVPs in 17 ears) and LeBron James (4 MVPs in 17 yrs) to Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Shane Watson winning two MVPs each. The Kolkata franchise also placed Russell and Narine at the first and second position as they had won the two MVPs awards in eight years whereas Watson did it in 12 years.

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As soon as the Kolkata IPL franchise uploaded the post, fans started flooding the comments section with their responses. Several reactions poured in as fans expressed their love for Russell and called him the real MVP of the IPL. Despite Watson being compared to basketball legend LeBron James, it is Russell who is more of a fan favourite which comes as a surprise considering the kind of form he was in the Dream11 IPL 2020.

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Kolkata franchise invest in USA's Major League Cricket

USA-based Major League Cricket received a major boost after the Red Chillies Entertainment-owned Kolkata IPL team recently decided to invest in the multi-million dollar T20 tournament. The Kolkata IPL team owners already have a team in three leagues, the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and T20 Global League in South Africa with talks in progress with England Cricket Board's 'The Hundred' as well as per recent reports.

Now, the Kolkata IPL team owners will hold a significant stake in the Major League Cricket. The strategic investment by the Kolkata IPL team will see them playing the role of consultants to help USA Cricket run the six-team T20 league, which could also indicate that the franchise will co-own the competition with the national cricket board.

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ALSO READ | Shane Watson paid tribute by ICC for all-round exploits vs India in WT20 2012; watch video

SOURCE: SHANE WATSON TWITTER

13:34 IST, January 5th 2021