Greater Noida Kicks Off 11 Day Big Cricket League

Greater Noida will host the second season of the Big Cricket League (BCL) from June 3 to 13 at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium, the Greater Noida authority said on Tuesday.

The T20 cricket tournament will feature former international cricketers alongside amateur players selected through nationwide trials, officials said.

The second edition of the 11-day tournament will feature cricketers such as India’s Shikhar Dhawan and Harbhajan Singh, West Indies’ Chris Gayle, New Zealand’s Ross Taylor, and Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan, among others, the authority said.

At a meeting on Tuesday, Greater Noida authority chief executive officer NG Ravi Kumar directed all departments concerned to complete the preparations.

“We will support the event organiser. Entry to the stadium for all matches will be free so that the public, particularly cricket lovers, can enjoy the matches,” Kumar said.

BCL chief patron Puneet Singh said the tournament will feature six franchise teams competing in 18 T20 matches.

“A unique aspect of the league is that 60 amateur cricketers, selected from across the country, will get an opportunity to play alongside legendary players,” Singh said.

The tournament is being promoted as the country’s first professional-amateur cricket league, the authority said.

The inaugural season was held in December 2024 in Surat, Gujarat, where Mumbai Marines defeated Southern Spartans to win the title, officials said.

Officials said the matches will be broadcast live on Eurosport, while digital streaming will be available on FanCode. The tournament will also be telecast in more than 25 countries through the league’s broadcast partners, they added.

Vinod Rajput writes on environment, infrastructure, real estate and government policies in Noida and Greater Noida. He has reported on environment and infrastructure in Delhi, Gurgaon and Panchkula in the past.Read More