KOLKATA: Wicketkeeper-batter Abhishek Porel, who was recently granted bail in a case involving allegations of rape and other sexual offences, has been included in Bengal’s 17-member squad for their Ranji Trophy season opener against Delhi in Kalyani.Porel, who has not played competitive cricket since the end of IPL 2026, was arrested in August following allegations that he had sexual relations with a woman on the promise of marriage. He was subsequently granted bail and has now been picked for Bengal’s Elite Group C opener, with Abhimanyu Easwaran continuing as captain.The match will be played at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani after Bengal’s season opener was moved from the iconic Eden Gardens. The venue switch comes as Eden Gardens prepares to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the launch of the Durga Puja festivities around Mahalaya on October 10.
Abhishek Porel returns to Bengal squad
Porel’s inclusion comes after he was also named in Bengal’s squad for practice matches in Guwahati last month. At the time, a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) official told Cricinfo: “His personal and legal matters are his own matters. If the situation changes, we will take the appropriate action. But for now there’s no issue from our side.”Porel was arrested by Mogra police in Hooghly district on August 11 following a complaint filed by a woman medical student from Karnataka. Police said the woman alleged that she had been in a relationship with Porel for around three-and-a-half years and that they had planned to get married.Police registered a case under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 69, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act. Hooghly (Rural) Superintendent of Police Kunwar Bhushan Singh had confirmed Porel’s arrest at the time, saying, “There was a case lodged against him and a court order to arrest him. He was arrested late last night. He will be produced in court today.”
Shami, Akash Deep bolster Bengal pace attack
Porel’s inclusion apart, Bengal have named a strong pace attack for their campaign, with senior India pacer Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep all part of the squad. Akash Deep, who is returning from injury, will be keen to get valuable match time as he looks to regain his rhythm and fitness ahead of India’s New Zealand tour.Sudip Kumar Gharami has been named Easwaran’s deputy, while Shahbaz Ahmed, who sustained an injury during the Duleep Trophy, has been left out.Bengal finished top of their group last season before their campaign ended in the semi-finals against eventual champions Jammu and Kashmir.Bengal and Delhi are grouped alongside Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha and Services.
- Bengal Squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Sudip Kumar Gharami (vice-capt), Sudip Chatterjee, Abishek Porel (wk), Shakir Habib Gandhi (wk), Ankur Paul, Sumanta Gupta, Ankit Shukla, Subham Chatterjee, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Pradipta Pramanik, Aamir Gani, Md. Kaif, Soummyadip Mandal.
- Stand-bys: Karan Lal, Akhilesh Yadav, Geet Puri, Abishek Kr. Raman, Subham Sarkar, Sumit Mohanta, Aditya Purohit.
