Kolkata: As many as 120 cricketers were picked from various age groups for the second season of the Bengal T20 Challenge, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) announced on Saturday. The tournament will see six local sides compete against each other which will also possibly act as a part of the preparations ahead of the upcoming domestic season.
The six teams are Barrackpore Bashers, Durgapur Dazzlers, Kanchenjunga Warriors, Kharagpur Blasters, Kolkata Heroes and Krishnanagar Challengers. Bengal batsman Sudip Chatterjee will captain Barrackpore while his teammate Anustup Majumdar will be leading the Kanchenjunga Warriors side.
“We have six CAB teams based on six iconic cities/towns of Bengal because we wanted to give it a local flavour. The teams are composed of senior Bengal, U-25 and U-19 players. This time there are no new outstation players,” CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said.
Here's the team list of the six teams after the draft pick of @BYJUS #BengalT20Challenge powered by @FanCode today at @FairfieldHotels.#CAB pic.twitter.com/cMDeR38EI4
— CABCricket (@CabCricket) September 4, 2021
The CAB chief also spoke about conducting a separate format for the districts in near future. “We have selected local players because we want players from the state to come up and showcase their talents. We also have the top-performing players in the second division district tournament. Of course we’ll be having a separate tournament for the districts, a new tournament which will also be broadcasted,” he further stated.
CAB General Secretary Snehasish Ganguly was optimistic about the success of the tournament having already conducted the opening season last year in fine fashion. “It’s a great opportunity for the youngsters to showcase their talents. We have Bengal legends guiding the players as coaches and mentors.
“The basic concept is to bring the young cricketers in limelight. I am very hopeful that it will be a successful tournament,” stated Snehasish. Last season, Tapan Memorial Club rode on skipper Shahbaz Ahmed’s brilliant allround performance to seal a 33-run victory over Mohun Bagan in the final to clinch the inaugural title.
