Not all cricketers get the opportunity to make it big. Some talented cricketers fall from the grid, missing the chance to play for the state team, IPL or the India Cricket Team. But they now have an opportunity to share the dressing room with World Cup winners and cricket superstars. Thanks to the Big Cricket League, aspiring cricketers can now rub shoulders with Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, and Herschelle Gibbs. Brainchild of India pacer RP Singh (senior), BCL 2024 begins in Surat on Dec 12.
While the mushrooming retired players’ leagues promise nostalgia and an opportunity for the fans to watch their favourite stars play again, the Big Cricket League is different. It provides a platform to the players players who have been a fan to be a teammate of international stars. RP Singh, who played two ODIs for India in 1986, is the league president and he has a message for the players.
“We wanted to give the aspiring players the experience to play with Gibbs, Dhawan, Raina, Pathan, Dilshan and the former international players. We wanted to give them that platform. I don’t know if some of them would make it big. But through this, these players will now have some important lessons to carry home. It will be now up to them to make use of those lessons,” RP Singh told InsideSport.
Thorough trials for Big Cricket League
While the tagline is: from fan to teammate, not everyone can team up with Suresh Raina or Shikhar Dhawan. Hence, the Big Cricket league called in trials across India. As many as 15,000 players had to undergo trials with only 60 making it to the final squads. Six franchises picked 10 aspiring players each. RP Singh personally vetted all players and then shortlisted them.
They now have the chance to take lessons from the likes of Daryll Cullinan, one of the great openers South Africa had in the early 90’s.
Big opportunity
As for players, they want to soak in as much as possible from the marquee players, First Class stars and the coaches. Abhishek Kaul, who is now an IT professional, also tried his luck. He was even part of Rajasthan Royals practice camp in Jaipur in 2018-19.
“For different reasons, I did not get the opportunity to play for the state team. I gave trials in IPL teams but did not get selected. Many relatives and friends told me that I should not waste my time in cricket. But the Big Cricket League has given me the opportunity to show them all that I can still play with the big players. It is a dream come true,” Mumbai Marines player Abhishek Kaul told InsideSport.
His Mumbai Marines teammate Happy Nagarwal has a similar tale. He too wants to learn as much as possible from this 18-match tournament. Happy is excited to team up with Irfan Pathan.
“It’s a dream come true. Big Cricket League has given us a huge opportunity. The goal is to learn as much as possible but also to enjoy these few days. You don’t get to play with Irfan Pathan or Lendl Simmons every day,” Happy Singh said.
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