The first-ever Assam Premier League player auction will be held on July 19 in Guwahati, where 275 cricketers will be drafted by eight franchises. The tournament, featuring a marquee list of 20 players, is set to begin on August 1.
Star-Studded Marquee List
The marquee list of 20 players carries the weight of Assam’s senior domestic circuit. Denish Das, Sibsankar Roy, Sumit Kashyap, Swarupam Purkayastha and Jitumoni Kalita lead the batting and all-round options, while Mrinmoy Dutta, Muktar Hussain, Avinav Choudhary, Rahul Singh, Sadak Hussain and Bhargab Pratim Lakhar headline the bowling group, according to a press release.Saahil Jain, Pradyun Saikia and Saurav Mousum Dihingia add depth to the batting pool, Abdul Ajij Kuraishi, Akash Sengupta and Ayushman Malakar bring all-round strength, and Sumit Ghadigaonkar, Rohit Sen and Ruhinandan Pegu are the wicketkeeping choices. All 20 have played BCCI tournaments for Assam and are expected to draw the strongest bidding when the eight franchises build their squads for the inaugural season, which gets underway on August 1.
‘A League for the Fans’: ACA President
Assam Cricket Association President Taranga Gogoi said the player auction on 19 July marks the true beginning of the league, with cricketers from across Assam set to be drafted by one of eight teams. He expressed hope that, when the tournament starts on 1 August, fans across the state will embrace it as their own, making the inaugural season a memorable milestone for Assam cricket.Taranga Gogoi, President, Assam Cricket Association, said: “The auction on 19 July is the day this league becomes real for our players. Cricketers from every district of Assam have put their names forward, and in a week they will know which of the eight teams they will represent. When the first match is played on 1st August, we want every fan in the state to feel that this league belongs to them. Assam has waited a long time for a platform of its own, and we intend to make the first season one to remember.”(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)