This will be the first time the Cricket Association of Bengal is going to create an under-16 girls team. The CAB has appointed ex-cricketers to find the best from the state in that category. With a possible chance of an under-16 girls tournament at the state level, CAB has not left any stone unturned for that tournament. CAB Apex council member Gargi Banerjee, and appointed coaches Priyanka Roy and Beas Sarkar shared their thoughts on this initiative by CAB in an exclusive interview with Sportz Point.

Read Also: 'Indian women's cricket team has a great chance to claim medal at CWG': Mithali Raj

"It is excellent from CAB to get girls from all the corners of Bengal who can be a great addition to the pipeline of the Bengal women's team," said Gargi Banerjee, former India cricketer and CAB Apex Council Member. Nearly 67 players were present at the CAB Indoor Coaching Center to give trials over the four days. The trial started on the 9th of July and continued till the 12th of July.

"For the first two days, we had a look at the registered players who have not had the opportunity to play at any level till now. In the next two days, there were registered girls who have the experience of playing at any level," Gargi Banerjee added.

"Few of these girls can play for the U-19 team too:" Gargi Banerjee

"The thing which excited me the most was that all the girls had knowledge of basic cricket. That is fantastic. Moreover, all of them looked well-nourished and fit. Even I can tell you that few of the girls can play for the U-19 team looking at their skill and fitness. This is fantastic. If we can get these girls ready in the next few months, Bengal cricket will have many more future stars," Gargi Banerjee expressed.

Read Also: Commonwealth Games 2022: India Women's Cricket Squad Announced

Former India cricketer, Priyanka Roy who has been given the responsibility to coach the girls echoed the thoughts of Gargi Banerjee. "The main thing is that the bench strength of Bengal will strengthen from this. The girls looked great for their age. Few were excellent as well. I think this will be huge if BCCI starts the U-16 Tournament for the girls," Priyanka Roy told Sportz Point.

"Fitness, Nutrition and fielding, these are three things we are focusing on along with skill:" Priyanka Roy

Generally, in women's cricket, girls at the age of 17-18 play for India if they are good. Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh are the current examples of that. Priyanka Roy believes with the ICC U-19 Women's World Cup, many international stars will emerge from this age category. "The early they come, the more time we have to polish them. We saw a few girls of 9,10 and 11, which is outstanding. If we can make them fitter, stronger with the skills, they will be making Bengal and India proud one day for sure," Priyanka Roy added.

"We are making sure they are fit, strong and know to field well. These are three things we are focusing on fitness, nutrition and fielding along with skill. We know their skills will automatically enhance if these are on point."

Priyanka Roy

Beas Sarkar, the former India cricketer and current Strength and conditioning coach feels the same as Priyanka. "The most important thing is that we are getting these girls early. Training an athlete of 22 is harder than training someone of 11-12. Their body takes it naturally, which is very important," Beas Sarkar said.

Strength and conditioning along with the right nutrition can help any athlete reach their peak and most importantly help them stay at their peak. Beas Sarkar believes when an athlete does all the things needed to fuel her body and conditions them well for a period, they are bound to get results. "With fitness and strength training, their capability to hit a ball or run twos and threes get enhanced which ultimately makes them score more or get more wickets. So the early we can make the girls realise the importance of this training regime, the more benefit they will get," Beas Sarkar added.

"Guardians need to be aware of what their kids are eating": Beas Sarkar

However, she feels that it is the guardians of these young girls who need to look after these athletes as well. She feels, "The guardians, especially the mothers need to be aware too. The kids will be with us for three to four hours. But, the maximum time they will spend with their family. Hence, they need to look after what their kids are eating, and how much sleep they are getting. These things are very important too."

"That is why we asked every kid about their background," said Gargi Banerjee. "It is important to know how they are fed, how much sleep they get and also how they study which is important as well," she added. Gargi Banerjee felt every kid looked well-nourished and guardians also looked well aware of these facts. Still, CAB will try to conduct seminars with parents as well once the squad has been made.

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.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the India U19 (men's) squad for the upcoming England tour, scheduled from June 24 to July 23, 2025.

This tour will have a 50-over warm-up match, followed by a five-match Youth One-Day series and two Multi-Day matches against England U19.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has already made his name as the youngest ever centurion in IPL history at just 14 years of age, has been picked for the tour. Another IPL star, Ayush Mahtre, who has impressed with his striking abilities for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025, has been made the captain of the squad.

Abhigyan Kundu will be Mahtre's deputy for the whole tour. 

Bengal pacer Yudhajit Guha has been named in the squad as well. Guha had earlier featured for the India U19 team in the U-19 Asia Cup as well. 

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

India U19 squad for the England tour

India U19 Squad: Ayush Mhatre (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (Vice-Captain & WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), R S Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohammed Enaan, Aditya Rana, Anmoljeet Singh

Standby Players: Naman Pushpak, D Deepesh, Vedant Trivedi, Vikalp Tiwari, Alankrith Rapole (WK)

Full Schedule of the tour

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.