Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], May 24 : The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) announced the final squads for the inaugural edition of the Vidarbha Pro T20 League, which is scheduled to be played from June 5 to 15.
At a glittering function held at the VCA Recreation Club on Saturday, the six franchises were each allotted a 16-member squad and a list of support staff. Each squad was pre-selected by VCA's Senior Selection Committee, ensuring good balance in the line-up to boost keen competition, according to a release from Vidarbha Pro T20.
All matches will be hosted at the world-class VCA Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur. The VPTL features six franchise teams for men and three for women, showcasing a dynamic mix of emerging cricketers, local heroes, and seasoned players from the Vidarbha region. The tournament aims to provide a high-quality platform for homegrown talent and strengthen the domestic cricket structure in Central India.
The names of the six men's teams and the franchises are Neco Master Blaster (owned by the Neco Group), Orange Tigers (owned by Abhijit Realtors & Infraventures Pvt. Ltd), Nagpur Titans (owned by the Sanvijay Group), Bharat Rangers (owned by Rohit Iron & Steel (India) Pvt. Ltd), Nagpur Heroz (owned by Lily Infraventure), and Pagariya Strikers (owned by the Pagariya Group).
The women's tournament will run concurrently with the men's event. The following three franchises will also own an additional women's team, Neco Master Blaster, Orange Tigresses, and Nagpur Titans.
The process of allotment of the teams involved the drawing of lots. First, a draw of lots was conducted to determine the sequence (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) in which the franchises get to pick the squads. It was followed by another draw of lots as each franchise picked a 'bail' from the box which had the name of the team (A, B, C, D, E, F). The corresponding team lists prepared by the VCA selectors were then allotted to the franchises.
Vaidya, Chairman of the Governing Council of VPTL, said, "The Vidarbha Premier T20 League is more than just a tournament --- it is a celebration of regional cricket and an opportunity for young players to shine," as quoted from a release by Vidarbha Pro T20.
Vaidya underlined the importance of forging a long-term partnership between the VCA and the franchises in order to successfully promote the game at the grassroots level in the entire region. He also urged the franchises to join hands with the VCA to build a strong brand, resulting in a win-win situation for all the stakeholders in VPTL.
To ensure the League is conducted with utmost professionalism and excellence, Arivaa Sports Private Limited -- who managed the successful Bengal Pro T20 League -- has been awarded the exclusive rights to manage the League.
The VPTL has already announced Umesh Yadav and Jhulan Goswami, as its official brand ambassadors for the upcoming season.
Final Squads:
VPTL Women's Squads:
Orange Tigresses:
Disha Kasat (Captain), Sayali Shinde, Sai Bhoyar, Trupti Lodhe, Janhvi Ranganathan, Komal Zanzad (Vice Captain), Riddhima Maradwar (WK), Akshara Itankar, Aditi Palandurkar, Dhanashree Gujjar, Ankita Bhongade, Prerna Randive, Nandini Pradhan, Sanskruti Dhande, Disha Kale, Prachi Puri (WK)
Nagpur Titans:
Mona Meshram (Captain), Latika Inamdar (WK), Mansi Pande, Ayushi Thake (Vice Captain), Dharvi Tembhurne, Gargi Wankar, Aarohi Bambode, Ashwini Deshmukh, Arti Bahenwal, Shagupha Sayyed, Mansi Borikar, Swara Thakre, Saloni Rajput, Ruksar Ansari, Shreemayee Pathak, Saloni Wankhede (WK)
Neco Master Blaster:
Bharti Fulmali (Captain), Nihari Kawale (WK), Riddhi Naik (Vice Captain), Vedanti Salodkar, Nupur Kohale, Arya Gohane, Shivani Dharne (WK), Tanvi Mendhe, Snehal Maniyar, Yashashree Soley, Gargi Banote, Shraddha Nabira, Shreya Lanjewar, Siddhi Nerkar, Pallavi Jain, Sanskriti Sant
VPTL Men's Squads:
Pagariya Strikers:
Yash Kadam (Captain), Md Faiz (Vice Captain), Dhruv Shorey, Aditya Ahuja, Iknoor Singh, Shivam Deshmukh (WK), Vishesh Tiwari (WK), Devansh Thakkar, Pushpak Gujar, Ashit Singh, Kaustubh Salve, Lalit Yadav, Dipesh Parwani, Manan Agrawal, Prem Ghode, Virendra Patel
Neco Master Blaster:
Jitesh Sharma (Captain, WK), R Sanjay (Vice Captain, Aryam Meshram, Adyan Daga, Adyan Routham, Akash Komde, Vedant Dighade (WK), Gaurav Dhobley, Ankush Tammiwar, Aditya Khilote, Arya Durugkar, Patham Maheshwari, Prafulla Hinge, Ananmay Jaiswal, Sarthak Dhabadgaokar, Sanmesh Deshmukh
Nagpur Titans:
Akshay Wadkar (Captain, WK), Jagjot Sasan (Vice Captain), Aniruddha Choudhary, Sandesh Durugwar, Satyam Bhoyar, Shubham Dubey, Aditya Narwade (WK), Himanshi Kawale, Rohit Dattarya, Sahil Sheikh, Aditya Kukde, Rahul Dongarwar, Aditya Thakare, Sanskar Chavhate, Dushyan Tekan, Piyush Sawarkar
Bharat Rangers:
Atharva Taide (Captain), Varun Bist (Vice Captain), Danish Mallewar, Akshay Agrawal, Shree Choudhary , Neel Athaley (WK), Updesh Rajput (WK), Alok Wadkar, Shantanu Chikhle, Garav Farde, Malhar Dosi, Nachiket Bhute, Suraj Rai, Shubham Kapse, Parth Khure, Kunal Kunjwani
Orange Tigers:
Darshan Nalkande (Captain), Yash Rathod (Vice Captain), Apoorva Wankhede, Kshitij Dahiya, Tushar Suryawanshi, Rohit Binkar (WK), Mohit Nachankar (WK), Ganesh Bhosale, Vikram Patel, Akshay Karnewar, Minar Sahare, Shreyansh Gupta, Saurabh Dubey, Atharva Podutwar, Rahul Singh, Ashish Jadhav
Nagpur Heroz:
Mandar Mahale (Captain), Aman Mokhade (Vice Captain), Abhishek Agrawal, Prabal Choukande, Tushar Kadu, Siddesh Wath (WK), Vaibhav Chouksey (WK), Anurag Dixit, Malhar Shirkey, Parth Rekhade, Yash Titre, Tejas Soni, Yash Thakur, Rishit Panchmatia, Arjun Ingle, Akshay Dullarwar.