Xtra Time Web Desk: With Sourav Ganguly leading the way, the Bengal Pro T20 League is set to bring an international flavor to Bengal cricket. If everything goes well, this competition will kick off from June onwards. It’s becoming evident that this league’s implementation will elevate Bengal cricket to another level. How will the journey of this T20 league commence? On Tuesday, April 2nd, CAB President Snehashish Ganguly will inform through a press conference. Prior to this, several important pieces of information have surfaced regarding this league.
According to sources, Sourav Ganguly might become the brand ambassador for the men’s division. Leading the way for the women’s division is Jhulan Goswami.
Additionally, there are some other important details. Under the central contract of the BCCI, cricketers from various grades will be signed up here. The top grade A+ will include several senior cricketers from Bengal. Those playing in the first division of the CAB will be included in A grade. Grade B, C, and D will include players from the second division, under-19, and district cricketers respectively. Cricketers in this A+ grade will receive 6 lakh rupees. Players in the next grade will receive 2 lakhs, 1.5 lakhs, and 50 thousand rupees respectively.
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Starting from June in this year, this league could start right after the IPL. According to sources, there will be eight franchise teams for men. It is heard that there will be teams named Siliguri Scorpions, Malda Monsters, Murshidabad Sultans, Bardhaman Bombers, Vishnupur Stallions, Midnapore Wizards, and the combined name of North-South 24 Parganas and Hugli, Harbor Hurricanes. Similarly, the teams from Kolkata and Howrah districts will be named Kolkata Rebels.
To internationalize this T20 competition, the CAB has taken several initiatives. Foreign stars like Jonty Rhodes, Shane Watson, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lance Klusener, Monty Panesar, alongside Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, and Harbhajan Singh, might be seen as mentors for various teams. On the other hand, as an icon cricketer for the women’s team, there could be performers like Deepti Sharma, Saika Ishaque, Richa Ghosh, and Titas Sadhu.
Among the star cricketers of Bengal, Mohammed Shami, Manoj Tiwary, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anustup Majumdar, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Abhimanyu Easwaran, have already been selected as icon cricketers for various teams, according to sources.
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The CAB is not leaving any stone unturned to make this T20 league popular. Corporate personalities from various states and abroad are being brought in. Several industrialists have come forward for the advancement of Bengal cricket. It is learned that the franchise fee per year is around three crore rupees. And it is also heard that each franchise is being tied up for a period of 10 years.
Several years now, several states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh have been running state T20 leagues. Sourav, during his tenure in the CAB administration, had tried to start a league under the IPL but due to various reasons, it got stalled. However, finally, the long-awaited end seems to be happening. With the Bengal Pro T20 League, a new era is set to begin in Bengal cricket.