India is full of hope and dreams. And if you are playing cricket in India right now, you might be preparing yourself for the toughest fight in any industry. Stats show that more than one billion people play cricket in India and nearly 80% of them does not turn professional. But, what if you are good not given a proper chance? You look for opportunities somewhere else. This is what happened when Bengal Cricketer, B. Arun went to Tamilnadu for some more genuine opportunities and then TNPL happened for him.

Arun Balasubramanian or B. Arun as they refer him in Tamilnadu was born in Tamilnadu. But then fate took him to the City of Joy, Kolkata. His passion for cricket started from there and he went on to play some professional club cricket in Kolkata.

Tamil Nadu, B. Arun and Cricket

But, fate turned for him when he decided to go to Tamilnadu in the Bengal off-season to play some club cricket in Tamil Nadu. This is 2015-16, B. Arun playing for the "Grand Slam CC", a first-division team in Tamil Nadu Club Cricket. Let me rephrase that for you, Grand Slam CC, the first-division team with N. Jagadeshan and Sai Kishore in the team, who went on to play for Tamil Nadu and IPL teams.

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As Arun already knew the culture and language of Tamil Nadu, he did not find it hard to mix with the TNCA cricket structure.

I never found it hard here in Tamil Nadu. When I came here 5-6 years back and played for the Grand Slam CC, players like Jagadeshan and Sai Kishore were friednly to me. The club helped me a lot during that period as well.

B. Arun on his first encounter of Tamil Nadu Cricket

First Taste of the Big League, TNPL

B. Arun was picked for the Kovai Kings, in the inaugural Tamil Nadu Premier League. The Kovai Kings had Tamil Nadu stalwart, Murali Vijay, as captain and South African legend Lance Klusener as the head coach of the team. Not only that, the team had Vijay Shankar among the other stars of the team. Arun still remembers that moment debuting for the Kovai Kings, referring to it as, "biggest match of my career".

This is stil the biggest match of my career. Murali Vijay was the captain. I had not played in that atmosphere before that. It was as big as it gets. On top of that Murali Vijay truste me with the super over as well.

B. Arun on his biggest match of lide till date and TNPL debut

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The first season was great for the off-spinner as he bowled with an outstanding economy of 6.5 in the six matches he played. However, he was on and off the team for the next few seasons. Though, he was quite accurate and economical in his bowling. Talking about his bowling style B. Arun said, "I prefer bowling dot balls"

As the team already have few IPL and Tamil Nadu stars, I know that I will have limited oppurtunities. And, if I go for runs, there is no chance of me bowling again. So, I like to build pressure with dot balls. If the wicket comes, good, if not then I am holding one end for my team. As an off-spinner I tend to work on my speed and accuracy rather than flight and loop.

Arun on his bowling style

TNPL Success and Chepauk Super Gillies

Coming to the 2021 season, B. Arun was retained by the Chepauk Super Gillies, after being champion in the 2019 season. Kaushik Gandhi was the captain of the team that season. However, Arun only got to play only one match that season. Though according to him, he learnt a lot from professionals like Murugan Ashwin and Vijay Shankar in the team.

When asked about how stars like Vijay Shankar and R. Satish prepare themselves for the biggest occasion, Arun phrased, "Nothing extra. They only focus on the game while playing the game. Off-the-field they all are just like us. But, they do prepare a lot before playing a new shot in a game or bowling a new variation."

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Though he is eager to be back in the TNPL after being champion for the second time this year, he wants to continue his club cricket in the Bengal as well. With a bigger hope of "playing cricket at the highest level", Arun says, "I am ready to play anywhere I get the opportunity. Be it Bengal or Tamil Nadu".

As we went ahead in the conversation and asked him about what makes Tamil Nadu different or better than other states or leagues, he replied, "Nothing much. Talent is everywhere in India. In Tamil Nadu, it's just the exposure. Be it the crowd or the television telecast, it creates an environment like the IPL, which is great."

Though Tamil Nadu is yet to see the all-rounder B. Arun in action, he hopes to make some useful knocks with the bat to prove his worth as an all-rounder.

In recent years and decades, Bengal cricket has frequently witnessed the emergence of players from outside the region, who quickly become integral to Bengal's cricket scene. This trend was evident during the recently concluded draft for the Men's Bengal Pro T20 League 2025.

It is important to clarify that we are not referring to outstation players, like Rohan Gavaskar and Arun Lal, who came to Bengal from other states and made it their home for cricket.

Instead, we are talking about cricketers from outside West Bengal who are arriving here and illegally obtaining Aadhaar cards and other documents with false addresses.

Fake addresses, corruption and outsiders in Bengal cricket

These players are rapidly rising through the ranks, some based on merit while others without any noteworthy performances, and they are moving on to represent the state at various levels. Furthermore, those who are advancing are bringing more players from their home states to Bengal and creating paths for them.

This situation points to a larger conspiracy involving club officials who are allegedly accepting bribes. Some of these officials are supposedly encouraging players to participate without payment in exchange for assisting them in gaining entry into Bengal under-age teams or even the Bengal Pro T20 League squads.

It's worth noting that platforms like the Bengal Pro T20 League provide players with exposure to IPL scouts and teams, which can significantly boost their careers. Players like Sai Sudharasan, Priyansh Arya, Digvesh Rathi, Vipraj Nigam, and Ashwani Kumar have all emerged from their respective state T20 leagues.

Consequently, these outstation players have come to believe that if they cannot succeed in their own state, they can come to Bengal, create illegal documents, collaborate with certain club officials, and gain access to platforms like the Bengal Pro T20 League.

This situation is depriving talented young cricketers from Bengal, who have been performing well at the club level, of opportunities.

In a recent video, presented in Bengali, Sportz Point addressed these issues, which was well received within the Bengal cricket community. We have translated this information into English to ensure the message reaches a wider audience across the nation.

Siddharth Patidar - supposed to play in both MPT20 League and Bengal Pro T20 League

One such instance is Siddharth Patidar, a player from Madhya Pradesh who has represented MP in the past and participated in the MP T20 League since 2022. He is now claimed to be a local player in Bengal.

Patidar is currently a member of the Jabalpur Royal Lions and will be playing under Saransh Jain in the tournament.

How can a player local to the MP T20 League also be considered a local player in West Bengal? This suggests he was provided with illegal documentation to verify his status as a Bengal domestic player. 

The MP T20 League is set to commence on June 12, and it will be interesting to see how Patidar competes in two different state leagues, claiming residency in both Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

Patidar was drafted in Srachi Rarh Tigers in Bengal Men's Pro T20 League 2025.

Sandeep Tomar - played in UP T20 League, but has documents of West Bengal

Another player, Sandeep Tomar, known to be from Uttar Pradesh, also appears to possess Bengal documents in his name. Sandeep has previously participated in the UP T20 League as a local player, and last season, he played in the Bengal Pro T20 League as a local player.

This raises the implication that Sandeep, too, has illegally registered as a Bengal player with the Cricket Association of Bengal. 

Not only these two players, but reports indicate that multiple athletes are arriving from various states and illegitimately registering as Bengal players with forged documents. Clearly, such actions cannot occur without the support of officials.

C.A.B.'s efforts to stop this

Recently, the Cricket Association of Bengal announced that from the next season, all players will be required to submit bank documents that are more than three years old, along with their parents' documents, before registering. However, the pressing question remains: If they can not even stop a daylight robbery, will they be able to stop outstation players' entry? Only time will tell.

As a result, many deserving players from Bengal, who have been topping charts in runs, wickets, and trophy wins, have been deprived of the opportunities they rightfully deserve.

Numerous players expressed feelings of frustration, sadness, and hopelessness after the events that unfolded during the draft for the Men's Bengal Pro T20 League.

Ranji Trophy is an annual domestic first-class cricket competition organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and played between the country's state and regional cricket associations.

Also Read: Ranji Trophy winners since 1934-35 season

The premier domestic competition named after the first Indian cricketer, Ranjitsinhji, who was also known as 'Ranji', was launched in 1934-35 featuring 15 teams in four zones in a knockout format and has since expanded to a 32-team tournament in the league and knockout format.

The first-ever edition was won by Bombay now known as Mumbai, who have also won the Ranji title the most. Record champions Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy 41 times so far. Mumbai has also reached the final 47 times.

Karnataka earlier played as Mysore is the second most successful team in the Ranji Trophy, having won the title 8 times and finished runners up 6 times followed by Delhi, who have won the title 7 times and finished as runners-up 8 times.

The Ranji Trophy 2024-25 has finally concluded with Vidarbha winning their third Ranji title defeating Kerala in the finals. Let's check out the last 10 winners of the Ranji title.

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Last 10 winners of the Ranji Trophy

N.B: Last Updated on 03/03/2025.

Gujarat will face a fierce Kerala while a strong Vidarbha will take on defending champions Mumbai in the semi-finals of Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Kerala broke the hearts of a vigilant Jammu & Kashmir while Vidarbha emerged victorious against Tamil Nadu in the quarter-finals. In the other final four battles Mumbai defeated Haryana while Gujarat won against a strong Saurashtra. 

Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Quarter-Final Results

1st Quarter-Final: Jammu & Kashmir vs Kerala

• Venue: Pune
• Match Result: Drawn
• Scores:
  • Jammu & Kashmir: 280 & 399/9d
  • Kerala: 281 & 295/6 (Target: 399)

The quarter-final between Jammu & Kashmir and Kerala ended in a draw after a fierce contest. Jammu & Kashmir posted a challenging total of 399 in the second inning. But, Kerala batters batted through the day to ensure a draw. Kerala won the match in virtue of first inning's lead. 

Salman Nazir (144* and 44*) was the hero for Kerala. He was also the player of the match.

2nd Quarter-Final: Vidarbha vs Tamil Nadu

• Venue: Nagpur
• Match Result: Vidarbha won by 198 runs
• Scores:
  • Vidarbha: 353 & 272
  • Tamil Nadu: 225 & 202 (Target: 401)

Vidarbha showcased a dominant performance against Tamil Nadu, securing a convincing 198-run victory in the second inning. Tamil Nadu were bundled out for 202 in the second inning while chasing a mammoth target of 401.

Karun Nair continued his great run with another ton (122) in the first inning. Yash Rathod also scored 112 in the second inning for them.

3rd Quarter-Final: Mumbai vs Haryana

• Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
• Match Result: Mumbai won by 152 runs
• Scores:
  • Mumbai: 315 & 339
  • Haryana: 301 & 201 (Target: 354)

Mumbai thrashed Haryana by 152 runs in the third quarter-final thanks to a solid ton from captain Ajinkya Rahane and a fiery spell from Shardul Thakur. Shams Mulani (91) and Tanush Kotian (97) did great job to save Mumbai from a collapse in the first inning. 

Royston Dias also took five wickets in the second inning to help Mumbai bundle out Haryana for 201.

4th Quarter-Final: Saurashtra vs Gujarat

• Venue: Rajkot
• Match Result: Gujarat won by an innings and 98 runs
• Scores:
  • Saurashtra: 216 & 197
  • Gujarat: 511

Gujarat delivered a dominating performance against a strong Saurashtra, winning by an innings and 98 runs in the fourth quarter-final. Their monumental first innings total of 511 proved insurmountable for Saurashtra, who were bowled out twice in quick succession. Urvil Patel (140) and Jaymeet Patel (103) scored centuries for Gujarat in the first inning. 

Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Semi-Final Fixtures

The stage is now set for the semi-finals, promising intense contests between the top-performing teams.

• 1st Semi-Final:

  • Teams: Gujarat vs Kerala
  • Date: February 17 - 21, 2025
  • Venue: To be confirmed

• 2nd Semi-Final:

  • Teams: Vidarbha vs Mumbai
  • Date: February 17 - 21, 2025
  • Venue: To be confirmed

Bengal men's cricket team last won a trophy in 2012, when they lifted the Vijay Hazare Trophy, beating the mighty Mumbai team at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi. 13 years have passed since then and the Bengal men's cricket team's dream for another trophy got prolonged every season.

Today, in this exclusive article on Bengal cricket, we will check out where those members of that Champion team are now. 

Let me inform you first, despite being the Champions only twice in the Ranji Trophy and once in Vijay Hazare Trophy, Bengal have been one of the strongest teams in Indian domestic circuit for years. The team from Eastern India have been runners-up in Ranji Trophy for a record 13 times.

Meantime, in Vijay Hazare Trophy, they finished second 4 times.

Without further delay, let's get to know the "playing eleven" from that Champion Bengal team.

Bengal Men's Cricket team's journey in the 2011-12 Vijay Hazare Season

Bengal won four out of four games in the inter-zone group matches and finished as the zone champions with 19 points to reach the knockouts. Assam with 12 points qualified alongside them from the east zone.

In the first quarter-final, Bengal defeated a strong Madhya Pradesh by 15 runs to reach the semi-finals. Ashok Dinda took 5/54 and was named the player of the match. Anustup Majumdar scored 55 to help Bengal score 230 in the first inning. 

In the semi-final, Wriddhiman Saha was the hero for Bengal as his unbeaten 53 from 71 balls helped them chase Punjab's 206-run target. Sourav Sarkar and Arnab Nandi were the pick of the bowlers for Bengal with two wickets a piece. Mohammed Shami added a valuable 22 from 7 balls at the back of the innings for Bengal to get them over the line.

The Mega Final: Mumbai vs Bengal

The mega final saw literally a one-man show from current Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla. The all-rounder first took 4 wickets while giving away only 38 runs in the first inning against a star-studded batting lineup comprising Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Nayar and Aditya Tare.

Mohammed Shami also picked up two wickets in the first inning. While chasing Mumbai's 249, Bengal lost Subhomoy Das in the first over. Mumbai captain Ajit Ajarkar trapped him in front of the wicket.

Shreevats Goswami (42 from 73) and Sourav Ganguly (38 from 53) tried to put a partnership but a few quick wickets after the departure of Ganguly pushed Bengal to trouble at 145/4 in 32.2 overs. 

But, then it was the partnership between Anustup Majumdar (50* from 45 balls) and Laxmi Ratan Shukla (106* from 90 balls) that helped Bengal chase down the total with 6 wickets in hands and 23 balls remaining.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla was the player of the final while Wriddhiman Saha was the top scorer of the tournament with 395 runs at an average of 98.75. 

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Where are those Champion players now?

Shreevats Goswami (211 runs in VHT 2011-12)

One of the most successful white-ball openers for Bengal, Shreevats Goswami was the first-ever "Emerging Player of the IPL". His white ball dominance and stroke-making ability helped him play 31 matches in the IPL.

Goswami recently announced his retirement and played in the Legends Cricket League and Big Cricket League. He is currently doing commentary for various platforms.

Subhomoy Das

The flamboyant opener, who featured in the Indian Cricket League, is currently a coach and a selector. He was the Chief Selector of Bengal's Men's Cricket team earlier and was appointed as the head coach of the Adamas Howrah Warriors in the Bengal Pro T20 League too.

Sourav Ganguly (Captain)

Probably one of the greatest Indian captains, Sourav Ganguly retired from all forms of cricket in 2012. Later, he joined the Cricket Association of Bengal as the President. He then went on to head the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well.

Ganguly is currently associated with many associations and is the Director of Cricket at JSW Sports. Along with that, Ganguly also did commentary in between these years which fans loved as well. 

Laxmi Ratan Shukla (291 runs and 11 wickets)

Laxmi Ratan Shukla is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders of Bengal cricket. His ability to turn up in the most demanding situations for his team is a skill Bengal is still trying to replace. 

Shukla won the Indian Premier League with Kolkata Knight Riders. Then he served as the Minister of State for Youth Services and Sports, Government of West Bengal and is currently now the head coach of the Bengal Men's Cricket Team. 

Wriddhiman Saha (395 runs)

Saha is regarded as one of the finest keepers of Indian Cricket. After his domestic success, went on to play for India in 40 test matches. He also went on to become the first player to score a ton in an IPL final.

Wriddhiman has announced his international retirement and his final match would be the Bengal vs Punjab match in Ranji Trophy 2024-25 in Kolkata starting from 30th January.

Anustup Majumdar (277 runs)

Known as the crisis man of Bengal cricket, Majumdar was one of the highest run-getters for Bengal in that tournament. Anustup scored 1 century and 1 half-century, an important one in the final.

Majumdar is currently the captain of the Bengal Ranji team. 

Debabrata Das

Though Das could only score 85 runs including one fifty in the tournament, he went on to become one of the greatest strikers of the ball in Bengal cricket history. I hope you still remember the scene when Gautam Gambhir gave away his player of the match in IPL 2012 to a young player. It was Debabrata Das.

Das is currently a selector under the Cricket Association of Bengal.

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Arnab Nandi (6 wickets at 4.66 economy)

Arnab Nandi is one of the most successful club cricketers in Bengal cricket. He was pivotal with his off-spin bowling and lower-order batting in both the finals Bengal played in recent years. 

Though Nandi could not take Bengal over the line in the 2023 Ranji Trophy final, he was excellent for Sourav Ganguly's team in 2012. Nandi is still playing club cricket in Kolkata. This season he is leading the Kidderpore Sporting Club.

Mohammed Shami (11 wickets)

This man needs no introduction now. Shami was an integral part of that champion Bengal team. The fast bowler took 11 wickets at 24.27 average in that tournament.

He was Bengal's highest wicket-taker alongside Shukla in the tournament. One year later, Shami made his international debut and as they say, the rest is history. He is India's highest wicket-taker in World Cup history. 

Till now Shami has accumulated 448 international wickets so far in his career.

Iresh Saxena (8 wickets)

The former left-arm spinner took 8 wickets in that tournament and alongside Nandi, was Bengal's premier spinning option. 

Saxena was also part of the KKR team in 2012 which won the Indian Premier League. Saxena currently lives in Greater London, England.

Sourav Sarkar 

The tall medium pacer played in the final in place of Ashok Dinda and got the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav in the final. 

In 2009, he played two matches for Kolkata Knight Riders. Sarkar played in 31 first-class matches and took 111 wickets as well. 

He is currently a coach of the Bengal U-16 team. 

Players who did not play in the final but were in the squad

Arindam Ghosh

A stalwart of Bengal cricket, who flourished for the Indian Railways team, Arindam Ghosh is still playing at the Club Level in Kolkata. Ghosh played 2 games for KKR in IPL 2009 and played 68 first-class games for Bengal and Railways.

Jayojit Basu

Another top-order batter who did not take part in the final for Bengal. Jayojit Basu is one of the most successful batters in Kolkata Club Cricket's history. Despite scoring a lot of runs for clubs like Mohun Bagan, he could only play in 3 first-class and 8 List-A games for Bengal. 

Basu is still playing at the club level in Kolkata and also takes part in Minor County Leagues in England.

Read Also | Exclusive: Age does not matter, at 34, Jayojit Basu focusing on winning trophies

Saurasish Lahiri

Saurasish Lahiri is one of the most successful spinners for Bengal in First-Class cricket. The spinner played in 100 first-class games for Bengal and took 256 wickets. 

Lahiri retired in 2016 and is currently the head coach of the Bengal U-19 Men's Cricket team.

Sanjib Sanyal

If it was not for Laxmi Ratan Shukla's presence in the team, Sanyal could have become a great name in Bengal cricket as well. The pace-bowling all-rounder played in 47 First-Class and List-A games for Bengal and Railways.

Currently, he is an assistant coach of the Bengal U-19 Men's Cricket Team. 

Ashok Dinda (8 wickets)

One of the greatest fast bowlers to play for Bengal, Ashok Dinda could only play 4 games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Bengal in 2012.

However, Dinda had managed to make an impact even in those 4 games for Bengal. He took 8 wickets including a five-wicket haul. He also had an outstanding economy rate of 4.90 in the tournament. 

Dinda went on to take 420 first-class wickets and took 151 List-A and 151 T20 Wickets as well. Dina played in 13 ODIs and 9 T20Is for India. Post his retirement Dinda became a MLA from Moyna from BJP. He is currently one of the coaches of CAB's project Vision 2028. 

Bengal U-19 openers Vishal Bhati and Ankit Chatterjee powered them into the final of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy 2024 as they defeated Chhattisgarh by 131 runs. This is the first time since 2013 that Bengal had qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament and they made it memorable by entering the final as well. Bhati, who scored 111 in 117 balls and also took 22/3 with the ball in hand, was declared the player of the match.

Bengal had defeated a strong Maharsathra in the quarter-finals by 96 runs and Vishal Bhati was instrumental for Bengal with a 23/4 spell with the ball in hand. 

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In the semi-final, opener Ankit Chatterjee supported Bhati really well and it was their 190-run opening partnership that laid the cornerstone for Bengal's success. After Ankit's dismissal on 92 from 102 balls, Bhati was also dismissed 19 runs later after a stunning 111 from 117 balls. Bhati's inning included 8 fours and 5 sixes while Ankit hit 12 boundaries and one six.

Though Bengal collapsed like a house of cards after that, it was Agniswar Das, who played a quick knock of 42 from 33 balls to give them the momentum to finish on 285/8 in 50 overs.

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Bengal opening ball bowlers Debangshu Pakhira and Yudhajit Guha struck early as Chhattisgarh lost two wickets within the first 7 runs. But, though they tried to build up a partnership with Alok Kumar Gupta and Sahil Shariff, the required run rate kept on going out of their reach.

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It was Ashutosh Kumar and Vishal Bhait who tore apart the Chhattisgarh middle order with their incredible discipline. Ashutosh finished with 30/4 while Vishal finished with 22/3 as Chattishgarh were bundled out for 154.

"It was entirely a team effort. Every member stepped up when it was needed most. I am happy with the victory. Vishal played brilliantly, and Ankit and Ashutosh were superb. The way the team handled the pressure on a crucial semifinal match was outstanding," Bengal U-19 head coach Saurasish Lahiri said via a press release. 

Bengal will now face Gujarat in the final on Sunday in Rajkot.

Scores

Bengal

Chhattisgarh Batting