Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya has urged Kolkata Knight Riders to focus on players from Bengal.
Since medium pacer Sayan Ghosh’s presence in their ranks for IPL 2017, not one Bengal cricketer has been a part of the Knight Riders squad till the just-concluded edition of the competition. The city franchise’s apparent “indifference” towards Bengal cricketers is a point that gets mentioned after almost every IPL season.
Speaking on the sidelines of the CAB inter-school Mayor’s Cup final at Eden Gardens on Monday, Dalmiya said: “... I would like to add one thing that we want more Bengal players in KKR. This will increase the emotional connect and we will relate to the team from the gallery in a much more deeper sense.
“And who knows what can happen if you play well in the IPL.”
The CAB boss had also raised the aspect of revival of the IPL’s catchment area concept during the BCCI’s annual general meeting in 2020. The concept existed only till the first two editions of the IPL.
“After 2009, the catchment areas, which are very important, ceased to exist. I had raised the issue of its revival during the Board’s AGM two years ago. It’s important in the sense that promising players of the region get an opportunity to showcase their skills while the fans too can connect and relate more with that franchise,” Dalmiya added.
