The Big Cricket League is an initiative of former India cricketer Rudra Pratap Singh (senior) offering aspiring local Indian cricketers the chance to compete alongside international cricket icons in a T20 format. This unique concept is organized and developed by Arvus Sports Private Limited.
Former India captain and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar is the League Commissioner while West Indies fast bowling great Courtney Walsh is the league’s Vice-President.
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What is Big Cricket League?
Unlike the likes of LLC and other T20 leagues for retired players, Big Cricket League offers budding cricketers a chance to rub shoulders with some of the superstars. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, and Harschelle Gibbs will be some of the superstar players in the league.
Each team will have an 18-member squad. There will be 6 international stars in the squad including a marquee player. Apart from them, there will be two First Class players and 10 aspiring Indian talents. In each Playing XI, there will be four former internationals including a marquee player, two First Class players and five aspiring players.
Big Cricket League format
BCL 2025 will have six teams of 18 players each. Every team will play against each other in a round-robin format. The team that finishes the league stage on the top of the Points Table will directly qualify for the final. In all, there will be a total of 18 matches including 15 league stage games, two playoffs and the big final.
BCL will have an eliminator and a Qualifier. The team that will finish third will take on the fourth-placed team on the Points Table. The winner of the Eliminator will clash with the second-placed team. The winner of the qualifier will play the final against the team that finished the league stage on top. The winning team will bag a prize money of $50,000.
Big Cricket League Fixtures
| Match Day | Date | Day | Match | Match No | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match Day 1 | 12 Dec | Thursday | Southern Spartans vs Northern Challengers | 1st T20 | 19:30 |
| Match Day 2 | 13 Dec | Friday | Rajasthan Regals vs Southern Spartans | 2nd T20 | 15:00 |
| 13 Dec | Friday | UP Brij Stars vs Mumbai Marines | 3rd T20 | 19:30 | |
| Match Day 3 | 14 Dec | Saturday | Northern Challengers vs Mumbai Marines | 4th T20 | 15:00 |
| 14 Dec | Saturday | Rajasthan Regals vs MP Tigers | 5th T20 | 19:30 | |
| Match Day 4 | 15 Dec | Sunday | UP Brij Stars vs MP Tigers | 6th T20 | 15:00 |
| 15 Dec | Sunday | Mumbai Marines vs Rajasthan Regals | 7th T20 | 19:30 | |
| Match Day 5 | 16 Dec | Monday | Northern Challengers vs MP Tigers | 8th T20 | 15:00 |
| 16 Dec | Monday | Southern Spartans vs UP Brij Stars | 9th T20 | 19:30 | |
| Match Day 6 | 17 Dec | Tuesday | Northern Challengers vs UP Brij Stars | 10th T20 | 15:00 |
| 17 Dec | Tuesday | Southern Spartans vs Mumbai Marines | 11th T20 | 19:30 | |
| Match Day 7 | 18 Dec | Wednesday | Southern Spartans vs MP Tigers | 12th T20 | 15:00 |
| 18 Dec | Wednesday | Northern Challengers vs Rajasthan Regals | 13th T20 | 19:30 | |
| Match Day 8 | 19 Dec | Thursday | UP Brij Stars vs Rajastan Regals | 14th T20 | 15:00 |
| 19 Dec | Thursday | Mumbai Marines vs MP Tigers | 15th T20 | 19:30 | |
| Match Day 9 | 21 Dec | Saturday | TBC vs TBC, Semi-Final 1 | 16th T20 | 15:00 |
| 21 Dec | Saturday | TBC vs TBC, Semi-Final 2 | 17th T20 | 19:30 | |
| Match Day 10 | 22 Dec | Sunday | Final | 18th T20 | 19:30 |
Big Cricket League Teams & Squads
A total of six teams will be part of this exciting cricket league. As mentioned, cricket icons Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, and Irfan Pathan will join players of all ages, and every team has marquee players who are expected to lead from the front.
MP Tigers squad
Speaking about the MP Tigers team, they look solid due to the players they have, likes of Yusuf Pathan and Tamim Iqbal, who are steady in batting. There will also be high expectations from Amit Mishra to lead the bowling line-up.
Squad: Yusuf Pathan, Pawan Negi, Stuart Binny, Naman Ojha, Tamim Iqbal, Dilshan Munaweera, Amit Mishra, Jatin Saxena, Mohammed Irfan Kaleem, S Vishwas, Mohammed Azhar Ansari, Arnav Kumar Prasad, Abdul Bari, Faizal A, Saumil Das, Daivik Nayak, Sanket Sharma, Sandeep Kumar.
Northern Challengers squad
Northern Challengers look perfect, having veterans like Darren Bravo and Upul Tharanga, who need no introduction. They are big names in the camp, and the amateur talent will learn a lot from them.
Squad: Shikhar Dhawan, Darren Bravo, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Dane Vilas, Upul Tharanga, Samiullah Shinwari, Anureet Singh, Bipul Sharma, Babar Ali, Sandeep Chauhan, Prakash Naskar, Mahaveer Singh Rathore, Bhuneshwar Pratap Singh, Rajat Singh, Vishal Prasad, Ashish Kumar Tiwari, Kundar Kumar, Srujal Shetty.
Mumbai Marines squad
When you have Irfan Pathan in the camp, everything looks sorted, and this is what the Marines are feeling right now. Since the former India all-rounder is the marquee name in the mix, he is expected to lead. The team also has fiery West Indian batter Lendl Simmons, whose batting in the shorter format is ruthless. On paper, the Marines look solid.
Squad: Irfan Pathan, Lendl Simmons, Richard Levi, Chamara Silva, Manpreet Gony, Malinda Pushpakumara, Subodh Bhati, Manan Sharma, Abhishek Kaul, Shivam Kumar, Malay Bharti, Ankit Stephen, Hershail Harrison, Ganesh Rajan, Mihir Agarwal, Vineet Singh, Happy Nagarwal, Mohammed Faheem.
Rajasthan Regals squad
Now, coming to Rajasthan Regals, they have some international names who have already stamped their mark in the international circuit. One of them is former Sri Lankan stylish batter Tillakaratne Dilshan, whose ‘Dilscoop’ are still considered some of the best by many. Also, West Indian veteran Dwayne Smith is in the mix, which will surely help the amateur players in the Royals camp.
Squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dwayne Smith, Shahbaz Nadeem, Tino Best, Morne Van Wyk, Fidel Edwards, Rajat Bhatia, Shreevats Goswami, Parikshit Kalpesh Jadav, Mohammad Faizan, Dhairya Singh Dalal, Surya Pratap Singh, Sathya L, Aadil Ahmad Vani, Yash Prabhakar, Samarth Srinivas, Achinto Das, Prashant Yadav.
Southern Spartans squad
If we look at all the squads, it is Southern Spartans who are snatching the spotlight. The team has players like Herschelle Gibbs, whose 6 sixes are still remembered by many. Also, Mr. IPL, Suresh Raina, is in the camp, showing how strong their squad is. They look like real contenders for winning this upcoming Big Cricket League.
Squad: Suresh Raina, Abhimanyu Mithun, Faiz Fazal, Herschelle Gibbs, Phil Mustard, Solomon Mire, Paul Valthaty, Abhishek Sakuja, Shrestha, Asmat Fayaz, Abhishek Kumar Yadav, Milin Yadav, Santosh Yadav, Abdul Rehman, Aman Khan, Dinesh C Bhunu, Sher Singh, Karthik RK.
UP Brij Stars squad
Lastly, UP Brij Stars also have some impressive cricketers, including former South African international Imran Tahir. Not to mention, he once dominated the shorter format of the game. He might also lead the team due to his vast experience. Also, Caribbean player Ashley Nurse is a big name in this camp.
Squad: Imran Tahir, Ben Dunk, Ashley Nurse, Hamilton Masakadza, Kevon Cooper, Ben Laughlin, Chirag Gandhi, Monu Kumar, Apoorva Mehrotra, Salil Yadav, Vedprakash Manda, Narendra Kumar Meena, Garvit Agarwal, Raahat Agarwal, Gaurav Tomar, Aryan Praveen, Sumit Chaudhary, Adharsh T.
