CAB announces Bengal coaching staff, Laxmi Ratan Shukla stays senior team coach

CAB retained Laxmi Ratan Shukla while appointing Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha as coaches.

May 28, 2026 01:13 IST

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) decided to continue with familiar faces despite breaking tradition in its coaching appointment process this season. For the first time, CAB had issued an official notification inviting applications for coaching positions across senior and age-group teams. After reviewing several applications and conducting interviews, the board eventually retained Laxmi Ratan Shukla as the head coach of Bengal’s senior men’s team for the 2026-27 domestic season. CAB officially announced the list of coaches and assistant coaches for the senior and age-group men’s teams on Wednesday, with former India cricketers Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha emerging as the biggest additions.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla to coach senior men's team

To ensure a transparent selection process, CAB formed a special committee consisting of former international cricketers Arun Lal, Devang Gandhi and Kalyan Chowdhury. The committee carefully examined every application and conducted interviews before finalising the appointments. CAB stated that merit and experience were given top priority during the recruitment process.

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Laxmi Ratan Shukla will continue as the head coach of the senior men’s side, while Surendra Bhave has been appointed assistant coach and batting consultant. Former India wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha has taken charge as the head coach of the men’s Under-23 team, with Sabir Ali serving as assistant coach.

Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha headline new appointments

Former Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary has been appointed head coach of the men’s Under-19 side, while Dattatreya Mukhopadhyay will work as assistant coach.

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Apart from announcing the coaching staff, CAB also shared an update regarding the recruitment of support staff for the senior and age-group teams. The process is being supervised by an independent panel under the BCCI Centre of Excellence. The physiotherapy panel includes Kamlesh Jain and Dhananjan Kaushik, while Harsh Aiy and Nishant Bordoloi are part of the strength and conditioning panel. Hari Prasad Mohan and Pushkar Sawant will oversee the performance analyst panel. CAB confirmed that the final selections will be made through a transparent interview process.