Kolkata, May 22 (IANS): Siliguri Strikers have made exciting additions to their squad at the draft conducted here ahead of the upcoming Bengal Pro T20 League, which is set to kickstart from June 11 at the iconic Eden Gardens. The draft for the highly-anticipated Bengal Pro T20 League was held on Sunday, with the Servotech Siliguri Strikers making a strong statement by selecting a diverse group of players for the inaugural season.

The Servotech Siliguri Strikers squad includes a mix of experience and youthful talent, ranging from 18-year-old Yudhajit Guha to 40-year-old Rajkumar Pal.

Franchise representatives, marquee players, and coaches attended the draft. In the women's team, the Siliguri Strikers picked a formidable squad of 16 players.

Meanwhile, Siliguri Strikers have also announced the coaching staff for the upcoming Bengal Pro T20 League. For the men's team, Saurasish Lahiri and Sanjib Kumar Goel have been named as head coach and assistant coach respectively. Arpita Ghosh and Pamela Dhar have been chosen as the head coach and assistant coach for the women's team.

Speaking about the squad, Siliguri Strikers owner Rishabh Bhatia said, "We are thrilled with the selections we've made at the draft. Our teams for both the men's and women's categories are balanced with a great mix of youth and experience. We believe that this diverse lineup will make a significant impact in the inaugural season of the Bengal Pro T20 League. Our goal is to bring top-quality cricket to our fans in Siliguri and the surrounding regions, and we are confident that our teams will deliver an exciting and competitive performance."

Last week, Siliguri Strikers announced Akash Deep and Priyanka Bala as their marquee player for men's and women's teams. Akash Deep is a 27-year-old cricketer who has played for RCB in IPL 2024 and previously donned the Indian Test cap. Meanwhile, Priyanka played for Mumbai Indians in the WPL 2024.

The Bengal Pro T20 League, which is managed by Arivaa Sports, is conceptualised on the lines of the IPL involving 8 franchise teams in both the men's and women's categories. The tournament will be played over a window of 18 days from June 11 to June 28 and it promises enough action and enterprise that will keep you watching and wanting more.

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

Siliguri Strikers women's squad:

Priyanka Bala (Marquee player), Brishti Majhi, Preeti Mondal, Jhanvi Raj Paswan, Dipita Ghosh, Pampa Sarkar, Samayita Adhikary, Mallika Roy, Priya Pandey, Abhishruti Dhar, Sohini Yadav, Anjali Burman, Chandrima Ghosal, Muskan Sinha, Snigdha Bag, Sreetama Mali