The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has unveiled its inaugural regional cricket competition, the Bengal Pro T20 League. This tournament will emulate the IPL format and include players from all over the state. Notably, separate tournaments will be held for male and female players.
The first edition will consist of eight teams each for both men’s and women’s tournaments, named after various cities and districts in the state. Spanning 21 days, the tournament is set to kick off shortly after the culmination of the Indian Premier League, in early June.
The league will only permit cricketers from Bengal to participate, barring players from other states. Furthermore, teams will be prohibited from hiring coaches from outside the state, ensuring that the tournament remains exclusively for Bengal.
“We’ve been planning to organise a franchise-based league for some time now. After conducting a thorough study of similar leagues in India and abroad, we’re finally prepared to launch the Bengal Pro T20 League this year.”
“We’ve obtained all the necessary permissions from the BCCI, and the blueprint for the league is firmly in place,” CAB President Snehasish Ganguly said at a press meet at Eden Gardens.
“Our goal is to ensure that this league sets the standard for excellence, providing budding talents from all corners of West Bengal with the exposure and opportunities they need to play cricket at a professional level.”
“We’ll have 8 franchise teams, each comprising both men’s and women’s teams as per the criteria and pool provided by the CAB,” he added.
Bengal Pro T20: Everything you should know
The Bengal cricket board revealed the Bengal Pro T20 on Tuesday, April 2, with the first season scheduled for June 2024. CAB President Snehasish Ganguly provided some insights into the tournament during the press conference.
1. The tournament will consist of 31 matches, including both league and knockout fixtures.
2. 264 cricketers will join the tournament, with each of the eight men’s teams having 17 players and each of the eight women’s teams having 16 players. All players and coaches must be from Bengal.
3. Players will be selected from both the Bengal senior team and district areas through a thorough drafting process following CAB’s regulations.
4. Eden Gardens will serve as the venue for the men’s tournament, while the women’s tournament will be held at Jadavpur University Ground.
5. Each day, there will be two matches in both the men’s and women’s leagues. Men will play one match in the afternoon and one in the evening, while women will have one match in the morning and one in the afternoon.
6. All the regulations observed in the IPL will be enforced in this regional tournament as well.
7. The BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit will supervise the entire league, and the CAB will enforce a code of conduct for all teams, mirroring the ICC and BCCI codes of conduct. Throughout the tournament, players and team members will stay in five-star hotels.
8. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners and runners-up in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
9. The men’s tournament will be televised on a leading sports channel, while the women’s tournament will be streamed live on a popular OTT platform.
10. Spectators will have complimentary access to the stadiums at both locations.
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