On Wednesday, Jisshu Sengupta, Bonny Sengupta, Saurav Das and several other actors gathered at the Sports Union field for the last practice session of the Bengal Tigers, as the team will leave for Vizag to participate in the Celebrity Cricket League, starting from 16th January. The Bengal Tigers will face the VELS Chennai Kings in the first match on 17th January. Jisshu will lead the team this year as well, while Sourav is the vice-captain.
This year CCL is going to be played in a T20format, till last year the format was Test 10. Addressing the press conference, the Ek Je Chhilo Raja actor emphasised the team’s capability to adapt to any kind of situation. This year CCL asked the teams to make the squad according two categories which also made an impact on the team combinations. This season is going to be a new experience for few players. “ We will go to the field to enjoy the game”, the team management said.
Jammy Banerjee, the star performer from last season, said, “since this year is T20, sustaining for 20 overs on the field is a big factor. That’s why we have trained for fitness and physical strength for one and a half months. What remained unfinished last year, we will try to achieve this time, and we will look to bring the trophy back home.”
‘We are actors and will try to act well in the field as well’ said Jisshu Sengupta
During the practice season, Jisshu was seen to round his arm for most of the time, he also padded up for batting and played a few nice shots in the net.
When News Ei Samay tossed the question about the mentality to go into the new season, he said, “The situations will be new for few players, and we are not going to war as well, we are actors, we will try to act well in the field.”
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He also praised the dedication of the players and gave a shout-out to Indrashis Roy and Joy Kr Mukherjee, as they are participating in the tournament after going through a knee surgery.
The team coach said that the team will look forward to winning the first two matches and will set the tone of the tournament on a good note, and try to secure the semi-final spot.
Emphasising the team bonding, the team captain said there is no hierarchy in the team, and if anyone goes through a tough patch, they all stay beside every other player.
Bonny Sengupta said about the new format
News Ei Samay also has a chat with Bonny about the tournament and the preparation. He said, “This year’s practice has been a bit different because it’s a T20 year, so I’ve been preparing with that format in mind. Since in T10 you have to keep hitting constantly, that becomes a bit difficult, so this year I will play with more time and patience.”
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Talking about how he prepares himself mentally, he said, “In T10, if I play three or four dot balls, the pressure builds up. This year, that won’t happen because I know that even if I play dot balls, I can cover it with a four on the next delivery, so the pressure is a bit less.”
Last time Bengal Tigers remained the group toppers without losing the match, but a batting disaster in the semi-final made them out of the race for the title. Notably, in 202,4 Bengal Tigers won the trophy for the first time.
