East Bengal Cricket team is all set to take the Kolkata Club Cricket club by storm after a not-so-successful last season. The red and yellow brigade will have a totally reformed team ahead of the 2023/24 season of Kolkata Club cricket. The Maidan giants have roped in coach Abdul Monayem from Bhawanipore to get the trophies back to the club. Abhishek Das is set to lead the club. Sportz Point brings you the full list of the East Bengal squad before they even sign at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Even before the last season ended fully, fans knew that some of their major players would leave the club. Players like Ishan Porel, Ankur Paul, Akash Pandey and Sayan Shekhar Mondal will join the arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Athletic Club for the next season. So, to replace them, the team management had to look for some match winners in the squad. All-rounders Ayan Bhattacharjee, Akash Ghatak and Shryean Chakraborty will be one of those players for them. Writtick Chatterjee and Arka Sarkar will be their other main all-rounders for next season.

Read Also: Kolkata Club Cricket Exclusive: Mohun Bagan eye every trophy signing youngsters of Bengal cricket

"We have got the best all-rounders of Kolkata Club Cricket:" East Bengal captain Abhishek Das

Coach Abdul Monayem and captain Avishek Das feel having good all-rounders will give the team the exact balance they are looking for in the squad. Not only that, captain Abhishek Das went on to say that Ayan Bhattacharjee and Akash Ghatak are some of the best pace bowling all-rounders going on in the market.

"Having good all-rounders is always vital. They provide you with the balance in the squad. Me and Ayan have been playing for many years. I feel Ayan and Akash Ghatak are some of the best at the moment from Bengal. You can use them anywhere with the bat and ball," Abhishek Das told Sportz Point in an exclusive telephonic conversation.

In the batting lineup, East Bengal will have the services of Subhrajit Das, who was captain of Customs Club last season. Along with him, there will be Mithilesh Das (roped in from Kalighat), Ayan Gupta, Shashank Singh (roped in from Shaymbazar) and Suroit Yadav. Amitoze Singh will be their outstation player in the batting lineup. Sourav Paul and Arpan De will be the main wicket-keeper batters for them.

"You can not win without being positive:" Das

Abhishek Das will be crucial in the batting lineup at the top of the order and he admits to that. "I know at the top of the order, I will be vital for the team, giving them a good start. I am attacking in my approach but never reckless. Even if I get reckless it is balanced with braveness," Das told Sportz Point.

Just like my batting, I will be very much positive in my captaincy as well. You can not win matches without being positive. This will be a huge responsibility for me after serving Bhawanipore for 13 years. There will be many boys whom I have played with at Bhawanipore. So, I guess, that will make it easier for me," Abhishek Das added.

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With the new-looking squad, it looks like Amit Kuila will be the pace-head for them. The railways' pacer will join them from Kalighat after having a successful stint at the club. Sumit Mohanta will be his partner in crime. Satyaki Dutta, Arka Sarkar, Akash Ghatak and Ayan Bhattacharjee will be the other pacers for them. Roshan Singh will be their left-arm quick to provide variety to the squad.

Kuila, Shreyan, Sumit and Roshan Singh makes a good bowling department for East Bengal"

The spin bowling department is one of the most vital parts of the success of Kolkata Club Cricket. Shreyan Chakraborty will head that department for East Bengal. Shreyan already had a great run for East Bengal in the past and surely would love to continue that this season. Along with him, it will be Vineet Mourya, Amrit Raj Upadhyay, and Balkesh Yadav in the spin department for the ultras.

"It's a challenge and responsibility for me:" Coach Abdul Monayem on being appointed as the coach of East Bengal Cricket team

Coach Abdul Monayem is hopeful of doing great things as a coach. Abdul Monayem as a player was very successful for the Red and Yellow. But, he knows this is a huge responsibility as public clubs like East Bengal demand success.

"It is a challenge and responsibility for me. East Bengal being a public club, will always demand success from me and us. As they say, "amago club," I believe East Bengal as my club from my playing days. I have done coaching in Mohun Bagan as well but that was 15 years back. So, I am really hoping for a great season ahead," Monayem told Sportz Point.

"We have got a very balanced side with lots of all-rounders. We have a mix of youngsters and experienced players. So, really hoping to play some good cricket," he added.

East Bengal Cricket Team full squad for Kolkata Club Cricket season 2023-24

Abhisek Das (C), Aishik Patel, Shashank Singh, Subhrajit Das, Suorjit Yadav, Ayan Gupta, Satyaki Dutta, Amitoze Singh*, Mithilesh Das, Akash Ghatak, Sumit Mohanto, Amit Kuila, Roshan Singh, Balkesh Yadav, Amrit Raj Upadhyay, Ayan Bhattacharjee, Vineet Mourya, Sekhar, Singh Chouhan, Sourav Paul, Writtick Chatterjee, Aditya Sharma, Arka Sarkar, Mrityunjay Yadav*, Shreyan Chakraborty

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.