Cuttack: The Odisha Pro T20 League (OPTL) announced their revised dates Friday, with the league now kicking off September 17 with the finals to be held September 26.
The captain and coaches of six franchises, Cuttack Panthers, Sambalpur Warriors, Puri Titans, Bhubaneswar Tigers, Keonjhar Miners and Rourkela Steelers were announced earlier in the week. The player draft was held today by the Odisha Cricket Association; the captains, head coaches and assistant coaches were announced via a draw system for each of the six franchises in the league earlier in the week.
The event was helmed and attended by, Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, President, OCA, Sanjay Behera, Secretary, Prabhat Bhol, Joint Secretary, Bikash Pradhan, Treasurer. Along with them, the owner of Cuttack Panthers Franchise Subhashree Behera was also present. Asirbad Behera, Secretary, Football Association of Odisha & Chairman, Odisha Athletic Association, was present as the Chief Guest. The players’ drafting process for franchise-based OPTL was conducted, and 16 players for each team have been selected. A provision for taking two more players is open for the franchises.
Speaking at the draft, Behera said, “The Odisha Pro T20 League marks a transformative step in the journey of cricket in our state. With top-tier talent, professional execution, we are confident this league will become a major force in Indian domestic cricket. We wish all the players and the franchises the best of luck and hope that everyone brings their best sportsman spirit, talent and showcase the depth and magnitude of cricketing talent in Odisha.” To ensure excellence in planning and execution, OCA has partnered with Arivaa Sports as the exclusive management partner for the league. Arivaa Sports has a proven track record, having successfully executed similar leagues in Bengal, Vidarbha, and Saurashtra. Subhranshu Senapati, Swastik Samal, Govinda Poddar, Sandeep Pattnaik, Aashirwad Swain and Suryakant Pradhan are the marquee players for the inaugural season of the T20 league.
