Wriddhiman Saha likely to return to Bengal team ahead of domestic season

In 2022, Saha featured for Tripura after playing for Bengal for more than a decade after a fallout with certain Cricket Association of Bengal officials.

FILE PHOTO: Wriddhiman Saha, captain of Tripura Cricket Team, during the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Railways, at Alur KSCA cricket stadium, in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K/ The Hindu

Is Wriddhiman Saha returning to Bengal ahead of the upcoming domestic season? Looks like it!

The India international caught up with former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Monday and is believed to have shown keenness about featuring in the Bengal Pro T20 League and also be available for Bengal in the domestic tournaments.

Wriddhiman Saha caught up with Sourav Ganguly in Kolkata on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

While the pictures of the meeting between Ganguly and Saha went viral, the latter remained tight-lipped on the issue. Sources in the Tripura Cricket Association confirmed to  Sportstar that though Saha is yet to formally seek a No Objection Certificate from the association, there is a possibility that he might eventually return to Bengal.

“All we know so far is that Ganguly has told him to play at least one game for Bengal before hanging up his boots. However, he is yet to formally convey to us his decision,” a TCA official said.

In 2022, Saha featured for Tripura after playing for Bengal for more than a decade after a fallout with certain CAB officials. The then CAB chief Avishek Dalmiya tried convincing Saha, but he indicated he may no longer play for Bengal.

He was upset with comments by a senior CAB official, who had raised questions over Saha’s commitment after he decided to skip the group stage of the Ranji Trophy due to personal reasons. He even exited the Bengal team’s WhatsApp group, despite coach Arun Lal having a word with the wicketkeeper.

Under Saha, who played the role of a player-mentor, Tripura performed decently in the domestic tournaments last season. A couple of weeks ago, Sudip Chatterjee, who had joined Saha at Tripura, also returned to Bengal.