CAB announces date, team, marquee players for inaugural Bengal Pro T20 League

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has announced the launch of the Bengal Pro T20 League in a gala celebration on Friday, May 03 in Kolkata. Former cricketers Sourav Ganguly and Jhulan Goswami marked their presence and expressed their delight with the formation of the new league, which is all slated to begin on June 11.

Notably, Bengal also became the first regional cricket board to announce the launch of a women’s T20 tournament. Maharashtra and Karnataka have organised exhibition matches for women during the men’s tournament, but Bengal went a step forward and formed an eight-team tournament, which will feature stars like Deepti Sharma (Murshidabad Kings), Titas Sadhu (Rarh Tigers) and Richa Ghosh (Rashmi Medinipur Wizards) among others. 

When it comes to the men’s team, Abishek Porel has been named the marquee player of the Kolkata Royal Tigers. Former Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary will represent Harbour Diamonds, veteran batter Abhimanyu Easwaran will be playing for Rashmi Medinipur Wizards, Servotec Siliguri Tigers have named Akash Deep in their squad.

On the other hand, Rarh Tigers meanwhile name named Shahbaz Ahmed as their marquee player, Anustup Majumdar will represent Adamas Howrah Warriors. Mukesh Kumar will be part of Malda Sobisco Smashers and Sudip Gharami will be playing for Murshidabad Kings. 

During the launch of the tournament, former India skipper Ganguly mentioned that the project was long due and would be a massive game-changer for Bengal cricket. He expects the players to make the most of the tournament in order to grow their careers.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly opines on India’s T20 World Cup squad

“I wish the CAB Officials and the players great success. This will be a massive game-changer for Bengal Cricket. It is long due, actually. The players will now not only get an excellent platform to showcase their talent, but also to live through the whole experience as they do in an IPL, preparing them for bigger platforms. They must make the most of it and give out their best,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by India Blooms.

Legendary cricketer and former pacer Jhulan Goswami too was elated as she mentioned that Bengal has provided a lot of women cricketers and with this tournament, the Chakdaha Express expects the number to increase.

“I am looking forward to the Bengal Pro T20 League. Bengal has been contributing to the Indian women's team on a regular basis. Presently, many girls are representing India from Bengal. I am very sure with this League taking place, we will see more players from Bengal representing at the top level very soon. I must congratulate CAB for taking this initiative,” Goswami said.