After the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) announced on Tuesday, April 2, that the eagerly awaited Bengal Pro T20 League would begin, the late Jhulan Goswami showered the organization with admiration.
Early June 2024 will mark the tournament’s first edition. There will be men’s and women’s teams from each of the eight franchise teams that will compete in the league. The competitions for men and women will take place simultaneously. With India’s first state association-run women’s T20 competition slated to take place there, praise for CAB’s proposal has been overwhelming.
A few other Indian state cricket boards have already held men’s Twenty20 events; the two most well-known ones are the Maharaja Trophy (run by the Karnataka State Cricket Association) and the Tamil Nadu Premier League. With the Bengal Pro T20 League, CAB hopes to discover many more excellent cricketers, as prior events have uncovered many.
“At most, other states hold women’s exhibition matches. For them, this is their first professional or franchise-based domestic competition outside of the WPL, former India and Bengal quick Goswami told ESPNcricinfo.
In the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Jhulan Goswami is a member of the Mumbai Indians team. She mentors the inaugural WPL champions and acts as their bowling coach. Jhulan observed that teams seek out individuals who are excelling in domestic cricket based on her experience playing in the WPL. According to her, West Bengali players will be able to display their abilities through the Bengal Pro T20 League and maybe draw bids in the WPL auction.
“WPL franchises keep a close eye on domestic cricket in hopes of identifying any undeveloped talent. Scouting is being done in large quantities. The Pro T20 competition will therefore greatly benefit Bengal’s players,” she said.
Bengal has been hosting a lot of events; therefore, we don’t have to search far and wide for players. Jhulan Goswami
With 16 players needed for each of the eight clubs, a total of 128 players will be needed to participate in the competition. How Bengal would find that many good cricketers was a question posed to Jhulan Goswami. While complimenting Bengal’s local cricket system, the 41-year-old gave her assurance that there would be no shortage of talented players.
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“There have been a ton of under-15, district, and senior-level competitions in Bengal. We can locate players without having to search for them. To put together these various teams, the CAB has been working very hard. Thus, it won’t be difficult at all to arrange for that many players. Actually, our coaches and selectors also identify talented athletes who are unable to pay to fly to Kolkata [to play]. Goswami said, “The CAB is looking forward to this league with this confidence and self-belief.”
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