The Bengal Pro T20 League Season 2 kicked off its preparations with a grand men’s draft ceremony on Monday, where a staggering 802 cricketers were selected by eight franchises at a city hotel on Monday. 

8 franchises, led by their retained players and coaches along with their owners, selected their squads for the upcoming season.

CAB Office bearers led by President Snehasish Ganguly, Vice President Amalendu Biswas, Secretary Naresh Ojha, Treasurer Prabir Chakrabarty, Joint Secretary Debabrata Das along with India cricket legend Sourav Ganguly, women’s cricket icon Jhulan Goswami were present for the draft. 

"I hope you will all witness an exciting draft process in the next few hours. I am sure we will have an even more successful Bengal Pro T20 League season this time," Sourav Ganguly said during the event. 

Read Also | Exclusive: "I would love to see more sixes, more runs," Shreevats Goswami wants bigger scores in Bengal Pro T20 League 2025

A+ category players will get INR 4,75,000, A grade players will get INR 3,75,000, while B and C category players will receive INR 1,50,000. D category players will get INR 1,50,000. 

Full squads of Bengal Pro T20 League 2025 (men's)

Shrachi Rarh Tigers

• Shahbaz Ahmed
• Pradipta Pramanik
• Sumanta Gupta
• Ashutosh Kumar
• Ravi Kumar
• Sayan Shekhar Mondal
• Kazi Junaid Saifi
• Pritam Chakraborty
• Gaurav Singh Chauhan
• Abhishek Das
• Siddharth Patidar
• Abhijeet Bhagat
• Md Shami
• Saikat Das
• Ayan Bhattacharyaa
• Avirup Gupta
• Mayank Jha

Read Also | Exclusive: "Do not call him a 'baccha', he will play T20s for India in two years," says Bihar head coach after Vaibhav Suryavanshi's historical IPL ton

ServoTech Siliguri Strikers

• Akash Deep
• Suraj Singhu Jaiswal
• Vikas Singh
• Tarun Godara
• Ankur Paul
• Subham Chatterjee
• Nuruddin Mondal
• Irshad Alam
• Ankush Tyagi
• Sourav Paul
• Mithilesh Das
• Raju Halder
• Pawan
• Lokesh
• Aditya Singh
• Shivamm Bharati
• Sachin Yadav

Rashmi Medinipur Wizards

• Sudip Chatterjee
• Vivek Singh
• Priyanshu Srivastava
• Vaibhav Yadav
• Ritwik Roy Chowdhury
• Ranjot Singh Khaira
• Rajkumar Pal
• Soumyadip Mandal
• Sandipan Das Jr
• Sourav Halder
• Rahul Kundu
• Akash Ghatak
• Rahul Gupta
• Pankaj Shaw
• Aishik Patel
• Ayush Ghosh
• Jagmohan Prasad Gupta

Read Also | Bengal Pro T20 League Exclusive: 9 cricketers teams should go after, who did not play or got picked last time

Adamas Howrah Warriors

• Aamir Gani
• Kanishk Seth
• Shakir Habib Gandhi
• Pramod Chandila
• Sujit Kumar Yadav
• Saksham Sharma
• Yuvraj Deepak Keswani
• Shreyan Chakrabarty
• Shashank Singh
• Deepak Kumar
• Debangshu Pakhira
• Jayveer Singh
• Rohit
• Sachin Chaudhary
• Arindam Ghosh
• Agniswar Das
• Agastya Shukla

Lux-Shyam Kolkata Royal Tigers

• Abishek Porel
• Karan Lal
• Sayan Ghosh
• Akash Pandey
• Sandeep Kumar Tomar
• Ayush Kumar Singh
• Anurag Tiwari
• Md Kaif
• Sandipan Das
• Debopratim Halder
• Ronit Ghosh
• Vipin Chandra
• Harsh Vardhan Jajodia
• Arjun Kumar
• Sanjib Goswami
• Bhoirob De Sarkar
• Dron Chatterjee

Harbour Diamonds

• Prayas Ray Barman
• Manoj Tiwary
• Badal Singh Balyan
• Subham Sarkar
• Chandrahas Dash
• Vishal Bhati
• Kaushik Maity
• Geet Puri
• Pradeep Kumar
• Priyank Patel
• Abhishek Raman
• Rahul Prasad
• Abhimanyu Easwaran
• Balkesh Yadav
• Prakash Kr Roy
• Kaushik Giri
• Ankit Chatterjee
• Vijay Srivastava

Murshidabad Kings

• Sudip Kumar Gharami
• Agniv Pan
• Sukhmeet Singh
• Vikas Singh
• Toufik Uddin Mondal
• Saksham Chaudhury
• Rishabh Chaudhary
• Dilshad Khan
• Saurabh Kumar Singh
• Aniket Singh
• Tanmoy Pramanick
• Sayed Irfan Aftab
• Priyam Sarkar
• Koushik Ghosh
• Nikhil Singh
• Ankit Chatterjee
• Sayan Paul

Sobisco Smashers Malda

• Mukesh Kumar
• Writtick Chatterjee
• Kaif Ahmed
• Ramesh Prasad
• Akhil
• Shuvam Dey Sr
• Gitimoy Basu
• Brijesh Sharma
• Arjun Bharadwaj
• Avilin Ghosh
• Sumit Mohanta
• Viraj Krishna
• Harsimar Singh Patheja
• V Venkat Raj
• Sk Janishar Akhatar Nishar
• Arjun Singh
• Aditya Roy

4 matches, 10 wickets and currently the joint-highest wicket-taker of the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025. 21-year-old Nuruddin Mondal has been the most impressive cricketer in this season's Bengal Pro T20 League. 

His stellar performance impressed former India cricketer Wriddhiman Saha so much that he even went on to say that "he can play for India in future."

But it is not new for him. Coming from a mofussil named Madanpur in Nadia district, Nuruddin has been bowling bouncers to every problem of his life to reach where he is now. The Servotech Siliguri Strikers' pacer shared his thoughts in an exclusive interview with Sportz Point.

How did it all start for Nuruddin Mondal?

Away before the Bengal Pro T20 League started, Sportz Point tracked Nuruddin's career since his second-division days. 

Nuruddin started his cricketing career at the age of 8 at Kalyani Municipal Academy, where he learnt the basics of cricket under coach Sanjay Dey. I got to see him bowl many overs on that cement wicket. 

But it was when he caught the attention of coach Debesh Chakrabarty that Nuruddin started progressing in his career. Debesh Chakrabarty is one of the most successful coaches in Bengal, known for producing players such as Sandipan Das, Sudip Gharami, Debopratim Halder, and many others. 

Read Also | Exclusive: Kanishk Seth wants to level up his game to IPL level, remembering the learnings from CSK days

"During the U-18 days, I felt I was faster than bowlers my age"

Nuruddin played in the C.A.B. U-13 and U-16 tournaments for Debesh Chakraborty's club. But when he started playing in the U-18 tournament, he began to feel that he was better and faster than his peers of the same age. 

"I started cricket around the age of 8 or 9 in Kalyani under Khokha Sir (Sanjay Dey). Then Debesh Sir (Chakrabarty) noticed me and since then I have been a student of his," Nuruddin told Sportz Point. 

"Although when I played U-13 or U-16 tournaments I did not feel any difference, during the U-18 tournaments, I started feeling that suddenly I was faster than others my age. It felt different," Nuruddin added. 

Nuruddin comes from a very humble family. His father works as a house painter, and just like every son of the house, he understands the importance of doing well in life. 

"When I felt that my pace had suddenly increased, and I became much stronger physically, I became more confident about my cricketing career," Nur expressed. 

Read Also | Exclusive: Advised by Sourav Ganguly, Abishek Porel gets coached by Yuvraj Singh; this is what he learned

Three years of second division cricket, and then came Calcutta Customs

But just like every student of Debesh Chakraborty, Nur also had to go through the ranks of Bengal cricket to prove he was ready for the bigger stages. The young pacer toiled hard for three seasons at Bengal Sporting Club before signing for Calcutta Customs Club. 

Still, it was not that smooth and easy for Nuruddin. He first had to impress one and all with a trial before getting signed by Customs.

"They asked me to go for a trial. I went and bowled well. All the coaches and Nilambar Sir (Saha) were impressed. They wanted me to sign for them."

"Debesh sir told me that even though I might get limited chances, I will learn a lot. So, I signed for them," Nuruddin stated. 

However, those limited chances were good enough for Nuruddin to prove himself. In a season when Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal broke through the doors of the Bengal team from Customs, Nur took advantage of his chances in white ball format. 

"I did well against Town in the T20 Quarter-finals. I bowled two maidens too. Then, did well against Mohun Bagan as well," he expressed. 

Rejections made him better than ever

Nuruddin's impressive spells got him selected for the Bengal U-23 camp, but life wanted to test him more. He failed to get selected for the Bengal U-23 and also missed the Bengal Pro T20 League selection by a whisker. 

In the first season of the league, Nur was a stand-by player for the Adamas Howrah Warriors. But these rejections made him stronger, and he knew in the next season, he would have to punch above his height. 

"Though I was not selected for the Bengal U-23 team and Bengal Pro T20 League, I was sure that I was on the right track," he stated. 

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"Bouncers and yorkers are my strength"

In the 2024-25 season, Nuruddin worked on every aspect of his bowling and emerged as a 200% better bowler. With 27 wickets across formats, he was one of the best U-23 bowlers of the Kolkata Club Cricket.

During the season, he worked on the bouncer and yorker so much that now he has confidence in bowling it at his will against any batter. 

"I practised them (bouncers and yorkers) so much that now I have the confidence of bowling it against any batter in any situation. Those two balls are my strengths"

Saha: "He can play for India in future"

This earned him a direct spot in the Servotech Siliguri Strikers' team, and the rest, they say, is history. Wriddhiman Saha even mentioned that he has all the capabilities to play for India in future. 

Delighted to hear that from a legend like Saha, Nur wants to keep his head down and take one step at a time.

"When praise comes from a legend like Wriddhiman Saha, obviously, it makes you happy. He did not know me. He saw me bowling for the first time during practice.

"So, this makes it even more special. But, I want to keep my head down and take one step at a time," he conveyed. 

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What's next?

So, what is next for Nuruddin Mondal? 

The youngster has a dream of donning that Blue jersey one day. But, for now, he has his eye on the Bengal Pro T20 League trophy and then on that Bengal U-23 jersey. 

"I feel like I need to keep doing what I have been doing well. Focusing on the process is the most important thing."

"But, if you talk about goal or aim, I want to win the Bengal Pro T20 League first, then play for Bengal U-23, then the seniors and hopefully for India in future. I want to climb up the ladder one by one," the youngster concluded. 

Kanishk Seth, during his U-19 days with Bengal, was seen as a future star. A batchmate of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ishan Porel, and others, Seth quickly made a name for himself with his left-arm pace bowling.

However, fate had different plans for him. Just before the ICC U-19 World Cup, he suffered an injury, which led to Khaleel Ahmed replacing him. Ahmed later went on to represent India. 

Seth was also on the verge of joining the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team in 2022, but a registration issue cost him that opportunity. Harshit Rana took his place and subsequently played for India. 

Throughout his career, Kanishk has encountered several setbacks, some beyond his control and others due to circumstances he could have influenced. In search of stability, he joined Railways for the 2020/21 season, a decision he now considers a mistake. After leaving the Railways and paying a sum of INR 15.75 lakhs, Kanishk has returned to his roots in Bengal.

After a great season with Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and East Bengal in club cricket, the left-arm pacer allrounder is now looking to go one level up at the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025.

In an exclusive interview with Sportz Point before playing his first match for the Adamas Howrah Warriors, Kanishk reflected on his journey. 

Read Also | Exclusive: Advised by Sourav Ganguly, Abishek Porel gets coached by Yuvraj Singh; this is what he learned

Return to Bengal from Railways

He made his T20 debut back in 2015, when he was a rookie in Bengal cricket. Although he had the potential to become one of Bengal's finest players, he had to wait a long time to become a consistent presence on the team.

"I went to the Railways to have some financial security in my life. I feel that was a bad decision, and I should have stayed in Bengal," Kanishk told Sportz Point. 

"Later on, I realised that a kid always had to come to his home to feel better. And, I feel better whenever I play for Bengal. Thanks for C.A.B. the way they took care of me when I wanted to return to Bengal," the left-arm pacer added. 

"I always aimed to return at 200% more than what I was when I left Bengal. I think those years of intensive training really paid off," Kanishk remarked.

Read Also | Exclusive: "I would love to see more sixes, more runs," Shreevats Goswami wants bigger scores in Bengal Pro T20 League 2025

Learnings from CSK

In 2018, Kanishk was bought by Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Even though he didn't get to play a game, the experience taught him invaluable lessons that he is now applying in his game. "At CSK, multiple international captains were part of one team, offering a unique learning environment. I am grateful for the experiences and memories from my time there."

"It took me 2-3 years to translate those learnings into my gameplay, but I'm finally seeing the results now."

Throughout those years, his former teammates from U-19 cricket have advanced in their careers. Ishan Porel nearly broke into the Indian team, Abhimanyu Easwaran is on the verge of making his Test debut, and Akash Deep has already represented India. Despite this, Kanishk remains unfazed.

"I don't mind my journey being different. Everyone has their path. I feel happiest when someone from my batch achieves success, whether it's playing for India or the IPL. They all deserve it," he said. 

Read Also | Bengal Cricket: 7 U-19 cricketers from Bengal who can play for India in future

"IPL teams demand clarity and execution"

Currently, Kanishk is focused on reaching the next level and helping his team succeed. After attending numerous IPL trials, he has a clearer understanding of what teams look for in a player and is working on those aspects.

"IPL franchises look for clarity. You should have the skill to bowl six consecutive Yorkers if needed, and you must execute effectively over 80% of the time to play at that level," Kanishk explained.

That is when fellow Bengal players like Shahbaz Ahmed, who is one of the key players in the IPL, help him with information. During the Bengal Pro T20 League 2024, Sportz Point noticed how Shahbaz was sharing how Kanishk's slower ball was getting picked easily.

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"Shahbaz was saying even at the start of the run-up, he was picking that I was going to bowl a slower ball. I worked on that in the off-season and got Hardik (Pandya), Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma out with that slower ball," Kanishk stated. 

Throughout his journey, Kanishk has seen many opportunities slip through his fingers, whether it was playing in the IPL or missing out on the ICC U-19 World Cup. However, he now knows what to do and how to respond to life’s challenges.

With the Adamas Howrah Warriors, Kanishk aims to be a valuable contributor—whether it’s bowling at the start or end of an innings, scoring runs, or taking crucial catches. He is determined to make a mark in the Bengal Pro T20 League. 

"Only winners get noticed in cricket. I want to help the team win. That's it. I hope I will be able to do that," he concluded.

Abishek Porel, the Bengal and Delhi Capitals wicket-keeper, had a decent IPL 2025 with the bat in hand. Just like the 2024 season, he was trusted to bat at the top of the order alongside some of the biggest names in world cricket.

But the season did not turn out the way he would have liked. On most occasions, he got out after getting the start. 

Porel averaged only 25.08, a drop from the 2024 season's 32.70. The main reason for that was him getting out on 30-40 after getting a decent start for his team, Delhi Capitals. And, he knows it hurt his own performance and the team as well. 

That is why Sourav Ganguly wanted the youngster to visit Yuvraj Singh and get some valuable learnings ahead of the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025. 

It was Sourav Ganguly who gave the Bengal wicket-keeper a chance to replace Rishabh Pant in IPL 2023. Porel did his part so well as an impact sub that he went on to play all 14 games for Delhi Capitals next season. Not only that, he was also retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auction.

Yuvraj Singh, one of the greatest white-ball cricketers of Indian cricket, is known for his performances in the 2011 ICC World Cup, where he emerged as the Player of the tournament, despite going through cancer. Not only that, his six sixes in an over in India's victories in the 2007 T20 World Cup are one of the most iconic moments in Indian cricket's history.

Read Also | India's 2011 World Cup winning squad: Where are they now?

After retiring from international cricket, Yuvraj Singh chose not to pursue a career in commentary. Instead, he decided to help young batters excel at the international level. He began working personally with Punjab cricketers such as Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Ramandeep Singh, and several others.

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All of these Punjab batters did exceedingly well after getting trained by Yuvraj. Shubman Gill's career graph went up as he became Indian's latest test captain. Meantime, Abhishek Sharma went on to debut for India T20I format.

After a decent season where Porel feels he could have been better, a session with Yuvraj Singh is what he needed to get everything sorted. The youngster thus went for a camp held by Yuvraj Singh in Delhi, where players like Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, and Prabhsimran Singh were also there.

"Sourav (Ganguly) sir wanted me to visit Yuvraj Singh to learn from one of the greatest batters of Indian cricket. It was all about getting to know how to be ready for the international stage," Porel told Sportz Point in an exclusive interview. 

"We worked on a few basic things, and you know if you stay around a man like Yuvraj Singh, you will get to learn more. I will visit the camp again and will learn more things from him," Porel added. 

Abishek is leading the Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers in the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025. In his state's own league, Porel now wants to rectify all of those mistakes he made in IPL 2025 and work on some individual things while leading the team to success. 

"I would love to get through that 30-40 runs zone and score more runs to help the team. That is the goal. Even Sourav (Ganguly) sir also told me that 30-40s are not enough, and I need to score more and look for hundreds," Porel shared. 

Bengal Pro T20 League 2025 is all set to start from 11 June 2025, with an iconic inaugural event at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.

Post the opening act by Sunidhi Chauhan and a few other surprising artists, Sobisco Smashers Malda and Murshidabad Kings, the finalists of the men's edition last season, will take on each other for the opening match of the season at 7 pm IST. 

From 12th June till the league stage ends on 24th June, Eden Gardens will host two matches every day; one from 1 pm IST and another from 7 pm IST.

Read Also | Bengal Pro T20 League 2025: 8 franchises choose squads among 802 players; here are the full squads

The women's edition will kick off from 12 June 2025, at the J.U. Second Campus Ground in Salt Lake, with a double header every day till the group stage. Every women's match will start from 9 am IST and 1.30 pm IST.

This season, the whole Bengal Men's Pro T20 League 2025 will have the Decision Review System (DRS) in full force. Only the Women's final at Eden Gardens will have the DRS in action. 

The final will be played on 28th June at the Eden Gardens, with the Women's final taking place from 1:30 pm IST, while the Men's final will start at 7 pm IST.

Read Also | Exclusive: "I would love to see more sixes, more runs," Shreevats Goswami wants bigger scores in Bengal Pro T20 League 2025

When does the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025 start?

The Men's Bengal Pro T20 League 2025 will start from 11 June 2025, while the Women's Bengal Pro T20 League 2025 will kick off from 12 June 2025.

Which venue will host the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025?

All the men's matches will be played at Eden Gardens with full DRS in action. Meanwhile, the Women's matches will be played at J.U. Second Campus Ground. The final of the men's and women's editions will be played at the Eden Gardens. 

When is the final of the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025?

The Bengal Pro T20 League 2025 final will be played on 28th June 2025 at the Eden Gardens. The women's final will start at 1.30 pm IST, while the men's final will start at 7 pm IST. 

Where can I watch the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025?

The fans can watch the Bengal Pro T20 League and Bengal Women's Pro T20 League 2025 LIVE on Fancode with a paid subscription. Star Sports 3 will broadcast every match LIVE on Indian television.

Will there be DRS in the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025?

DRS will be in full action during the men's matches at Eden Gardens. The women's final at the Eden Gardens will have DRS in action.

Who will perform at the Bengal Pro T20 League's opening ceremony?

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Indian music star Sunidhi Chauhan will perform at the Bengal Pro T20 League's opening ceremony at the Eden Gardens. The opening ceremony will start at 5 pm IST.

The Bengal Pro T20 League, a premier domestic cricket competition in West Bengal, is meant to be a stage for local talent to shine. Launched to nurture and showcase Bengal’s cricketers, the league has been a source of pride for the state’s cricket fans.

However, the recently concluded Season 2 draft has sparked a firestorm of controversy. Reports have surfaced that outstation players—those not originally from West Bengal—are being registered as Bengal players, allegedly through falsified documentation.

This practice has raised serious ethical and legal questions, with fans and critics alike accusing the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and franchise teams of undermining the spirit of the league. Today, we dive into why this is not just unfair but potentially illegal, and what it means for the future of Bengal cricket.