Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) star Shahbaz Ahmed will lead Rarh Tigers for the inaugural season of the Bengal PRO T20 League which will be hosted by the Cricket Association of Bengal, scheduled to start from June 11 and the final will be played on June 28. Eight teams will fight for the title which will be played in Bengal. CAB unveiled the trophy of the tournament in the presence of former India captain Sourav Ganguly and Jhulan Goswami in Kolkata. Each team selected 17 players to form their squad for the upcoming season.
The inaugural season of the tournament will be played in both men's and women's categories and the teams are based on cities and districts of West Bengal which are Kolkata, Howrah, Diamond Harbour, Medinipur, Siliguri, Murshidabad, Rarh (a region involving Bardhhaman, Birbhum districts) and Malda.
The owner of every franchise was also involved during the drafting process. The franchises expressed their happiness and satisfaction with their picks.
| Teams | Owners | Men's captain | Women's captain |
| Kolkata Royal Tigers | Lux Industries & Shyam Steel | Abishek Porel | Mitali Paul |
| Adamas Howrah Warriors | Adamas University | Anustup Majumdar | Dhara Gujjar |
| Rashmi Medinipur Wizards | Rashmi Group | Abhimanyu Easwaran | Richa Ghosh |
| Rarh Tigers | Shrachi Group | Shahbaz Ahmed | Titas Sadhu |
| Malda Sobisco Smashers | Sobisco Ltd | Mukesh Kumar | Hrishita Basu |
| Murshidabad Kings | Pritam Electricals & Jalan Builders | Sudip Kumar Gharami | Deepti Sharma |
| Harbour Diamonds | GD Mining | Manoj Tiwary | Sukanya Parida |
| Servotec Siliguri Strikers | ServoTec Power Systems | Akash Deep | Priyanka Bala |
Shobhan Bhattacharya, Team Director, Rashmi Medinipur Wizards for Bengal PRO T20 League
“The wait is over. Now the time has come to swing the ball , throw the bat and may be a superhuman runout or catch. Hats off to CAB for their fantabulous planning and wonderful execution. It has to be the most successful Domestic T20 League. Bengal is roaring."
Rishabh Bhatia, Team Owner, Servotech Siliguri Strikers
“We are very happy with the players picked in the draft. Our coaches and support staff are excited to work along with the players. We believe we have a strong squad that can go on to win the first coveted trophy of the Bengal Pro T20 League. The way this league is coming together, it promises to be the most successful domestic T20 tournament.”
Rahul Todi, on behalf of Rarh Tiger franchise
“I am thrilled to express our excitement for the upcoming season. With anticipation soaring high, we are poised to assemble a formidable team that will strive for excellence and set the stage ablaze with thrilling cricket action. As we gear up for the eagerly awaited Bengal Pro T20 League draft tomorrow."
The spokesperson of Harbour Diamonds
“Bengal Pro T20 is something the incredible talents of Bengal badly needed. The charm of franchise-based T20 league is set to be clubbed with some sheer passion by the sports-loving people of Bengal! I can't wait to see my team in action.”
Yash Jain (Pritam Industries), Co-Owner of Murshidabad Kings
“We are overwhelmed to be a part of the Bengal Pro T20 League, the whole process looks very enticing. CAB and Arriva sports are putting a great show together to promote cricket in Bengal, a state very close to sports! We are looking forward to this growing immensely in the years to come and for women 's cricket as well which is going to be the first of its kind in State Leagues” .
Pratiik Jalan (Jalan Builders) Co-Owner, Murshidabad Kings
“BPL is going to be a super platform and gateway for young aspiring players to emerge into bigger formats of the sport. When IPL started it gave so many boosts to young talent and paved roads for many to the international format. This is going to do the same for the state players to show their talent for bigger formats. This will get fame and glory for many over the coming years and we are glad to be a part of this league.”
Rajat Subhra Roy, Director of Adamas United Sports Academy, said owner of Adamas Howrah Warrior, expressed their deep satisfaction at the player drafting, he said, “we have been able to put up a good combination with players who can cater to different playing conditions and match situations and we look forward to successfully compete in the tournament.”
Karan Sodhi from Sobisco Smashers
“We are really excited about the upcoming Bengal Pro T20 League and we are very happy the way CAB and Arivaa Sports have conducted the player draft and we are looking forward to this league as this the future of the game and also we are extremely happy with the draft process of players and got almost all the players we had targeted and we wish all the teams the very best.”
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