Kolkata, May 11 (IANS). In the Bengal T20 League, franchises spent around Rs 4.5 crore on the men’s and women’s teams. In this auction, Meeta Paul (Rs 3 lakh) emerged as the most expensive player among women, while Shahbaz Ahmed (Rs 12.20 lakh) was the most expensive among men. Ahead of the 2026 season, more than 250 players have received contracts from the auction pool of over 1000 players.
Including both the auctions, the franchises signed 136 players in the men’s team and 128 players in the women’s team. Each men’s franchise fielded a squad of 17 players, with the mandatory inclusion of at least two under-19 players. At the same time, each women’s franchise made a team of 16 players, which included at least two under-15 players.
For the first time in the history of Bengal T20 League, many expensive players were sold in the men’s auction. Indian all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed was the most expensive player with a price of Rs 12.20 lakh, who has been retained by ‘Shratchi Tribes Rar Tigers’ in their team through Right to Match (RTM). The price of many players was more than Rs 8 lakh.
There was also huge demand for youth category players in the men’s auction. Ravi Kumar became the most expensive Under-19 player with a bid of Rs 7.80 lakh, while Rohit (Rs 5.20 lakh) proved to be the most expensive player in the Under-16 category. The women’s auction also saw huge investment in the category of big names and young players. The price of more than 10 players was more than Rs 2 lakh, while all the players in the ‘A+’ category were bought by the franchises.
Meeta Paul was retained by ‘Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers’ in their team through RTMK. At the same time, 13 year old Ariktha Manna was one of the emerging young talents in this auction, who was bought by ‘Rashmi Medinipur Wizards’ for Rs 1.55 lakh. The franchisees together spent around Rs 88 lakh in the women’s auction.
Top 10 most expensive players among men:
1. Shahbaz Ahmed: Rs 12.20 lakh (RTM) – Srechi Tribes Rar Tigers.
2. Abhishek Porel: Rs 10.40 lakh – Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers.
3. Mukesh Kumar: Rs 9.60 lakh (RTM) – Sobisco Smashers Malda.
4. Sudeep Kumar Gharami: Rs 9.40 lakh – Novus Purulia Royals.
5. Yuvraj Deepak Keswani: Rs 8.60 lakh – Novus Purulia Royals.
6. Saksham Chaudhary: Rs 8.40 lakh – Murshidabad Kings.
7. Hrithik Chatterjee: Rs 8.20 lakh – Adamas Howrah Warriors.
8. Ravi Kumar (Under-19): Rs 7.80 lakh – Novus Purulia Royals.
9. Rohit (Under-16): Rs 5.20 lakh – Novus Purulia Royals.
10. Subham Sarkar: Rs 4.8 lakh – Rashmi Medinipur Wizards.
10 most expensive players among women:
1. Meeta Paul: Rs 3 lakh (RTM) – Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers.
2. Dhara Gujjar: Rs 2.85 lakh – Novus Purulia Royals.
3. Tanushree Sarkar: Rs 2.35 lakh (RTM) – Murshidabad Queens.
4. Priyanka Bala: Rs 2.25 lakh (RTM) – Servotech Siliguri Strikers.
5. Prativa Rana: Rs 2.15 lakh (RTM) – Murshidabad Queens.
6. Rishita Basu: Rs 2.10 lakh – Rashmi Medinipur Wizards.
7. Piyali Ghosh: Rs 2.10 lakh (RTM) – Shrachi Tribes Rar Tigers.
8. Sujata Dey: Rs 2.05 lakh – Adamas Howrah Warriors.
9. Prativa (U19): Rs 2.05 lakh – Sobisco Smashers Malda.
10. Trishita Sarkar: Rs 2.05 lakh – Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers.
The biggest selection of under-15 and emerging talent
1. Ariktha Manna (13 years, Under 15): Rs 1.55 lakh – Rashmi Medinipur Wizards.
2. Debsmita Khalsa (14 years, Under 15): Rs 65,000 – Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers.
3. Manushree Rajak (14 years, Under 15): Rs 50 thousand – Rashmi Medinipur Wizards
4. Sneha Mahato (14 years, Under 15): Rs 48 thousand – Servotech Siliguri Strikers.
5. Saikh Athiyana (14 years, Under 15): Rs 40,000 – Sobisco Smashers Malda.
6. Tanisha Das (14 years, Under 15): Rs 34,000 – Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers.
7. Protistha Dutta (14 years, Under 15): 32 thousand rupees – Adamas Howrah Warriors.
8. Piyali Roy (13 years, Under 15): Rs 30,000 – Novus Purulia Royals.
–-IANS
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