The inaugural season of the Bengal T20 Challenge is set to put an end to the moratorium of cricket activities in the Eden Gardens as the league will kickstart on November 24.
The tournament, which is being organized by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), will feature a total of 33 matches and last till December 10. The matches will be carried out in a bio-secure bubble ecosystem during which six teams (clubs) will be battling out for the title, namely, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Tapan Memorial, Town, Kalighat, and Customs. Each of the teams will face each other twice and try to make it to the semi-finals and ultimately the final.
All the officials associated with the teams and the organizing body members along with the players and coaches will remain in the bio-bubble throughout the whole affair. As per the CAB president Avishek Dalmiya, most of the matches are scheduled for the evening slot.
“Majority of the matches will be played under the floodlights at Eden Gardens. All the players, coaches and match officials will continue to remain in the bio bubble during the entire course of the tournament,” the CAB president said.
The officials of the organizing body have got a rather positive outlook towards the tournament and they are hoping to present this opportunity to all the budding players out there.
“The thought process behind this tournament is to nurture the talents of the state of West Bengal and also enable this competition to act as a talent feeder to the various age groups representing the association,” Dalmiya added.
“If one can perform here, he can open the gates to greater opportunities. I have been telling the marquee players that this is a godsent opportunity; this has never happened to any of the Bengal players before. By the time we start the season, a couple of board tournaments are over and for the selection process we have to look into last year’s performance,” state coach Arun Lal said.
As of now, there is an absence of any franchises with the CAB claiming for it to be their own property. They intend to keep it this way in the long run and ensure the active involvement of top players and brands.
