Kolkata, June 10 : Siliguri Strikers have named Ritwik Roy Chowdhury as captain for the inaugural Bengal Pro T20 League that begins on Tuesday. In the opening match of the tournament, Siliguri Strikers will take on Harbour Diamonds at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Siliguri Strikers are representing Siliguri and other catchment areas such as Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, and Kalimpong. After their first match, Siliguri Strikers will face Murshidabad Kings and Rarh Tigers in the coming week.

Rishabh Bhatia, the owner of Siliguri Strikers said, "We are thrilled to be part of the Bengal Pro T20 League and look forward to showcasing our talent on this grand stage. Players have trained well and are ready for the opening match. Also, we are incredibly proud to have Ritwik Roy Chowdhury as the captain of the Siliguri Strikers. I am confident that under his captaincy, the Siliguri Strikers will perform well and make our fans proud."

Akash Deep, the pace bowler for Siliguri Strikers, feels the upcoming Bengal Pro T20 League will provide a significant platform for new cricketing talent in Bengal.

"I have been very excited, since the time I heard that the Bengal Pro T20 League is going to happen. I'm also excited to play for Siliguri Strikers since Siliguri place is very far from Kolkata and seeing their team play in Bengal Pro T20 League will definitely help cricket grow in Siliguri," Akash, who has been picked as the marquee player for the Siliguri Strikers, had said in a statement.

The Siliguri Strikers have left no stone unturned in preparing for the tournament. The team has practiced hard ahead of their opening match in the Bengal Pro T20 League.

The Bengal Pro T20 League, which is managed by Arivaa Sports, is conceptualized on the lines of the IPL involving eight franchise teams in both the men's and women's categories.

Siliguri Strikers men's squad: Akash Deep (Marquee player), Ritwik Roy Chowdhury, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Vikas Singh, Abhishek Kumar Raman, Rajkumar Pal, Ankur Paul, Shantanu, Yuvraj Deepak Keswani, Tuhin Banerjee, Mahadeb Datta, Rahul Gupta, Rohit Kumar, Aditya Singh, Rishabh Vivek, Vishal Bhati, Yudhajit Guha.

/IANS