Bengal Premier League to start in June; KKR and LSG are interested in taking part in the competition

The Bengal Premier League is set to begin in the second week of June. This is the first time a corporate cricket is getting held in Bengal cricket. The tournament will be organized by the Cricket Association of Bengal.

State Cricket Governing Body president Snehashis Ganguly said the Bengal Premier League is being launched with the idea of ​​discovering new talent and nurturing them. The tournament will start fifteen days after the end of the IPL as per the rules of the Cricket Board.

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Many of the franchises that are in the IPL will be seen in the Bengal Premier League, Snehashis Ganguly said. According to some sources, Shahrukh Khan owned Kolkata Knight Riders, and Sanjeev Goenka's Lucknow Super Giants might appear in the league or may want to own teams in the new T20 tournament.  

"The Knight Riders and the RPSG Group have shown a fair amount of interest... We expect to make an official announcement by the first week of January," a senior CAB official said earlier in December 2023.

The Knight Riders are collaborating with the CAB in the Mayor's Cup Inter-School Cricket tournament, also known as the Junior Knights Championship. So, this doesn't come as surprise that the SRK-owned franchise are also keen to take part in the Bengal Premier League. DTDC, Bandhan Bank, Bengal Ambuja, Shrachi Group and Rashmi Cement Limited are also interested in participating in the tournament.

The Bengal Premier League is not only for men but also for women. Eight men's teams and Six women's teams will participate in the league. The women's matches will be played on the second campus of Jadavpur University while the Men's matches will be played at the Eden Gardens.

Only players from Bengal can participate in this league and some iconic cricketers will be selected in the future. After the renovation of the Eden Gardens, the number of visitors will increase and the renovation is for that purpose. Snehashis Ganguly said, "A block of Eden is in poor condition. Reforms are urgently needed. The situation will be understood when the report comes forward."

The 2024 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup is also set to start from 1st June, so it will be interesting to see what happens next with the selections. With the participation of IPL franchises, the Bengal Premier League will surely attract attention and interest from cricket enthusiasts across the country.