Kolkata, June 11 (UNI) The much-awaited franchise-based league, the Bengal Pro T20 league, which is all set to get underway at the iconic Eden Gardens on Tuesday, promises to take competitive cricket in Bengal to new heights.
The eight-team franchise-based league, a first in the state, will see the men's and women's matches being played simultaneously at two different venues.
The men's league will kick-off with Servotech Siliguri Strikers clashing against Harbour Diamonds at the iconic Eden Gardens on Tuesday while the women's competition will begin on Wednesday at the Jadavpur University Salt Lake Campus Ground with back-to-back double-header clashes.
The eight franchises will play seven league-stage matches and the top four teams will progress into the semifinals. The top-ranked team will face the fourth-ranked team while the second-placed team will take on the third-placed team in the last-four clash.
The final will be played on June 28 at the Eden Gardens.
All the eight teams which have a blend of both youth and experience will look to showcase their talent and come into reckoning for the next editions of the Indian Premier League and primarily the Indian national team.
Harbour Diamonds: The Harbour Diamonds team will be led by Bengal legend Manoj Tiwary and coached by Sanjib Sanyal. Manoj has also been roped in as the marquee player. The team will heavily rely on the star batter while the youngsters will look to get benefitted from his vast experience.
Besides Manoj, fast bowler Md Kaif, young all-rounder Prayas Ray Barman, experienced batter Suvankar Bal, Sayan Sekhar Mandal, Poonish Mehta and the young Chandrahas Dash will be the ones to watch out for.
Rashmi Medinipur Wizards: The Rashmi Medinipur Wizards team will be led by the experienced Sudip Chatterjee and coached by Arindam Das. The team received a big boost with the inclusion of veteran India wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha as the marquee player in place of the injured Abhimanyu Easwaran.
The experience of Wriddhiman will add more power to the team. Besides Sudip and Wriddi, Ishan Porel, Shreyan Chakraborty, Vaibhav Yadav will be the key to team’s chances and will be the ones to watch out for.
Shrachi Rarh Tigers: The Shrachi Rarh Tigers will be led by star India all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed with Abdul Monayem as the head coach. Shahbaz has also been picked as the marquee player.
Quality players in Pradipta Pramanik, Sourav Paul, Sandipan Das, Sumanta Gupta make them a strong contender. The vast experience of Arnab Nandi will also come handy in the tournament.
Adamas Howrah Warriors: The Adamas Howrah Warriors will be led by the consistent and veteran Bengal batsman Anustup Majumdar with former Bengal cricketer Subhomoy Das as the head coach. Shakir Habib Gandhi, Abhishek Das, Saksham Chaudhary, Aamir Gani, Debopratim Halder will be the ones to watch out for.
Servotech Siliguri Strikers: The ServoTech Siliguri Strikers will be led by talented Bengal batter Ritwik Roy Chowdhury and coached by Sourashish Lahiri. Star India bowler Akash Deep, who is the marquee player for the team, will aim to make it count with the ball.
The squad with a blend of youth and experience, has a quality bowling attack with Akash Deep leading the pack along with Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, U-19 star Yudhajit Guha. The team’s pace heavy line-up will surely challenge the other teams’ batters.
Lux-Shyam Kolkata Tigers: The Lux-Shyam Kolkata Tigers team will be led by talented and young Bengal wicket-keeper batsman Abishek Porel with Bengal legend Shib Shankar Paul as the head coach.
Avishek is also the marquee player. His skills behind the wicket and ability to score quick-fire runs will be handy in the tournament. He will surely look to lit up the tournament with some big scores. Besides Avishek, Karan Lal, Subham Chatterjee, Ompal Boken, Avilin Ghosh will be the ones to watch out for.
Sobisco Smashers Malda: The Sobisco Smashers Malda will be led by star India pacer Mukesh Kumar. The Bengal speedster has also been roped as the marquee player with Debopam Sarkar as the head coach.
The experience of Mukesh will be crucial for the team’s chances. Besides the right-arm pacer, Geet Puri, Ranjot Singh Khaira, Writtick Chatterjee, Jayojit Basu, Writam Porel make the squad a competitive one.
Murshidabad Kings: The Murshidabad Kings will be led by Bengal’s talented young batsman Sudip Kumar Gharami and coached by Sourav Sarkar. Gharami’s consistency with the bat will be key to team’s chances in the tournament.
Besides Gharami, Agniv Pan, Ravi Kumar, Toufik Uddin Mondal, Sayed Irfan Aftab will be the ones to watch out for.
Tolly stars Jeet, Rukmini with Bollywood sensation Nushrratt to light up Bengal Pro T20 League inauguration.
Tollywood Superstars Jeet and Rukmini and Bollywood Diva Nushrratt Bharuccha will set the stage aflame in the opening ceremony of the inaugural Bengal Pro T20 League at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday
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While Jeet, Rukmini and Nushrratt will groove to peppy numbers, the League's anthem will also be released tomorrow.
This will be followed by captain introductions of both the men's and women's teams, followed by the captains' oaths.
The opening ceremony begins at 5.30 pm followed by the inaugural match between Servotech Siliguri Strikers and Harbour Diamonds at 7 pm.
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