CAB kickstarts Bengal's Women's Premier League inaugural edition with star-studded draft
Xtra Time Web Desk: In a glamorous ceremony at the Eden Gardens on Monday, the drafting process for the inaugural edition of the CAB Women's Club Cricket tournament took place with 150 women cricketers picked by 10 clubs.
The purpose behind organising the meet is to identify, promote, and nurture talents from Bengal and to expose the players to the high-octane T20 competition, the Women’s Premier League.
Read More: IPL 2024: MS Dhoni marvels his teammates during practice session
“Thank you to all the clubs for participating in the tournament. This is a good platform for the players to showcase their talent to the coaches and spotters, and this could be a path to the Bengal team and also Women’s Premier League in future. I wish the cricketers all the best, and I hope you will give it all to win it for your team,” said CAB President Snehasish Ganguly.
“I am very happy that such a good tournament is being staged by CAB, and this will help us discover more women talent. The players should give their best. The initiative taken by Mr Ganguly will surely help,” said CAB Vice-President Amalendu Biswas.
"This will indeed be a tournament to watch out for as talented women cricketers will be in focus. I wish all the players the best, and I hope we will surely discover more talent for Bengal in the future," iconic cricketer Jhulan Goswami said.
Also present for the draft were CAB Hony Joint Secretary Debrabrata Das and Hony Treasurer Prabir Chakraborty.
Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, Bhawanipore Club, Barisha Sporting Club, East Bengal Club, Wari Athletic Club, Mohammedan Sporting Club, Aryan Club, Kalighat Club, Rajasthan Club and Town Club picked 15 players each in their team.
The teams will have a star marquee, Bengal senior, Bengal Under-23, Under-19, and Under-15 player in each team to provide proper balance to each side.
The format will see the 10 teams being divided into two groups, who will play in a league format followed by the knockout phase.
East Bengal, Wari Athletic Club, Kalighat Club, Barisha Sporting Club and Bhowanipore Club will be in Group A while Town Club, Aryan Club, Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting Club and Rajasthan Club will be in Group B.
All 10 captains sounded confident of their team's chances in the tournament.
East Bengal Club captain's Mamata Kisku said, "I am happy with the team. I hope we will give our best in the tournament."
Wari Athletic Club's captain, Ankita Chakraborty, said, "I am excited to be a part of this wonderful tournament. This will help us showcase our talent."
Town Club's Mita Paul said," This is indeed a tournament which I was waiting for to be a part. This tournament will help his give our best."
Aryan Club's Kashish Agarwal said, "As a captain, I am confident of leading the side to glory. I hope we will give our best on the field."
Mohun Bagan Club's Sukanya Parida said, "This is really an exciting opportunity for us all. We will give our best and look to win it."
Mohammedan Sporting Club's Priyanka Bala said, "I hope to give it all and lead the team to victory in the forthcoming tournament."
Rajasthan Club's Jhumia Khatun said, "I am confident that Rajasthan Club will do well in the tournament."
Kalighat Club's Piyali Ghosh said, "It is a moment of joy for us to play in this tournament. We will give our best."
Read More: IPL 2024: Andre Russell stats against Chennai Super Kings ahead of the mega match
Barisha Sporting Club's Dhara Gujjar said, "We as a team will look to give our all to attain glory."
Bhawanipore Club's Priyanka Sarkar said, "To be able to lead a side in this tournament is special. We as a team will give our best and look to win it."