The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) set as a good example by hosting the Bengal Women's T20 match. On Wednesday, the CAB held the first-ever women's players' draft at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, at a time when the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) was also able to hold an auction for female cricketers.
The six clubs that competed in the tournament were East Bengal, Rajasthan Club, Town, Mohammedan Sporting, Aryan, and Kalighat Club, and they selected 90 cricketers from various age groups. The pool was created using the players' statistics.
CAB President Avishek Dalmiya stated, “we are very happy to resume our local tournaments, which were stalled because of the recent Covid-19 surge. We have been contemplating over the last few years that club cricket in the women's segment must begin. We tried to start this tournament last season but due to Covid, we had to cancel at the last moment. We are extremely happy to start the tournament this year. It's not going to be a one-off tournament and we will be working keenly to make it better with each passing year.”
"We will not be able to organise the tournament at Eden Gardens," Dalmiya said, citing the upcoming T20 International series matches between India and the West Indies in the city.
From February 7 to 23, the tournament will be held at the Bengal Cricket Academy campus in Kalyani, on the outskirts of Kolkata. All of the games will be broadcast live on Fancode.
"This tournament will prepare our girls for any national-level premiere T20 tournament," Dalmiya said of the tournament's success, which will be played in a bio-bubble.
