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The second season of the Big Cricket League (BCL) is currently underway, with six teams battling for the title in what remains one of the most unique cricket tournaments in the world. The competition is being played from June 3 to June 13, 2026, at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida.
Unlike conventional franchise tournaments, the Big Cricket League follows a distinctive Pro-Am model that brings international cricket stars and amateur cricketers onto the same platform. The league was created to provide talented players a second chance to pursue their cricketing dreams while competing alongside some of the game's biggest names. With experienced internationals, former legends, and emerging amateur talent sharing the dressing room, BCL continues to offer a different flavour of franchise cricket.
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What is the Big Cricket League?
The Big Cricket League is recognized as the world's first professional-amateur cricket league. The tournament combines former international cricketers and amateur players identified through the league's talent-hunt system.
The idea behind the competition is simple yet powerful, provide aspiring cricketers, whose careers may have been interrupted by personal, professional, or financial circumstances, an opportunity to compete on a professional stage.
Season 2 has once again brought together several well-known names from international cricket, adding quality and experience to the tournament.
Big Cricket League 2026 Venue
All matches of BCL Season 2 are being played at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida.
The single-venue format allows teams to remain in one location throughout the tournament while providing fans with continuous cricket action over the 11-day competition.
BCL 2026 Teams and Captains
Six franchises are participating in the second season of the tournament.
Team | Captain
Mumbai Marines| Irfan Pathan
Southern Spartans| Suresh Raina
MP Tigers| Yusuf Pathan
Northern Challengers| Shikhar Dhawan
Gujarat Diamonds| Tillakaratne Dilshan
UP Brij Stars| Imran Tahir
The captaincy list itself highlights the star power involved in the tournament, with several former international cricketers leading their respective franchises.
BCL 2026 Teams Overview
Mumbai Marines
The defending champions entered the season under the leadership of Irfan Pathan. Having won the inaugural edition, Mumbai Marines remain one of the strongest sides in the competition and carry the pressure of defending their crown.
Southern Spartans
Led by former India batter Suresh Raina, Southern Spartans boast a blend of international experience and exciting amateur talent. They were among the strongest teams during the inaugural season.
MP Tigers
Captained by Yusuf Pathan, MP Tigers possess plenty of firepower and experience. The side includes several former international and domestic stars capable of changing games quickly.
Northern Challengers
Shikhar Dhawan's Northern Challengers have attracted significant attention due to the presence of one of India's most successful white-ball batters. The team is aiming to improve on its previous campaign.
Gujarat Diamonds
Sri Lanka legend Tillakaratne Dilshan leads Gujarat Diamonds, who are hoping to emerge as one of the surprise packages of the tournament.
UP Brij Stars
Under the captaincy of Imran Tahir, UP Brij Stars have assembled an experienced squad featuring several well-known international cricketers.
BCL 2026 Full Squads
Mumbai Marines Squad
Irfan Pathan, Jesal Karia, Chamara Silva, Manpreet Gony, Malinda Pushpakumara, Subodh Bhati, Manan Sharma, Abhishek Kaul, Shivam Kumar, Malay Bharti, Ankit Stephen, Hershail Harrison, Ganesh Rajan, Mihir Agarwal, Vineet Singh, Mohamed Faheem, Vijendra Kumar Nagarwal.
Southern Spartans Squad
Suresh Raina, Abhimanyu Mithun, Faiz Fazal, Herschelle Gibbs, Phil Mustard, Solomon Mire, Abhishek Sakuja, Shrestha, Asmut Fayaz, Abhishek Kumar Yadav, Milan Yadav, Santosh Yadav, Abdul Rahman, Aman Khan, Dinesh C Bhunu, Sher Singh, Karthik RK.
MP Tigers Squad
Yusuf Pathan, Pawan Negi, Stuart Binny, Naman Ojha, Peter Trego, Dilshan Munaweera, Amit Mishra, Jatin Saxena, Mohammed Irfan Kaleem, Mohammed Azhar Ansari, Arnav Kumar Prasad, Abdul Bari, Faizal A, Saumil Das, Daivik Nayak, Saket Sharma, Sandeep Kumar.
Gujarat Diamonds Squad
Samarth Srinivas, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Asela Gunaratne, Amit Verma, Mehul Patel, Achinto Das, Dhairya Dalal, Prashant Yadav, Parikshit Jadav, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Shukla, Mohammad Faizan.
UP Brij Stars Squad
Imran Tahir, Chirag Gandhi, Ishwar Pandey, Hamilton Masakadza, Jitender Kumar, Asghar Afghan, Sami Ahmed Khan, Monu Kumar, Apoorva Mehrotra, Salil Yadav, Vedprakash Manda, Narendra Kumar Meena, Garvit Agarwal, Raahat Agarwal, Aryan Praveen, Sumit Chaudhary, Adharsh T.
Northern Challengers Squad
Shikhar Dhawan, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Upul Tharanga, Samiullah Shinwari, Siddarth Kaul, Anureet Singh, Bipul Sharma, Babar Ali, Sandeep Chauhan, Prakash Naskar, Mahaveer Singh Rathore, Bhuneshwar Pratap Singh, Rajat Singh, Vishal Prasad, Ashish Kumar Tiwari, Kundan Kumar, Srujan Shetty.
BCL 2026 Format and Rules
The tournament follows a round-robin league format where all six teams face each other once during the group stage.
Each franchise plays five league matches. At the conclusion of the league phase, the top four teams in the points table qualify for the knockout stage.
The knockout phase consists of two semi-finals followed by the final. Teams receive two points for a win, while no-result matches award one point to each side. In case teams finish level on points, Net Run Rate (NRR) determines their final standings.
Big Cricket League 2026 Full Schedule
League Stage
- June 3: Mumbai Marines vs UP Brij Stars
- June 4 (Afternoon): Southern Spartans vs Northern Challengers
- June 4 (Evening): Gujarat Diamonds vs Mumbai Marines
- June 5 (Afternoon): Northern Challengers vs UP Brij Stars
- June 5 (Evening): MP Tigers vs Southern Spartans
- June 6 (Afternoon): Gujarat Diamonds vs UP Brij Stars
- June 6 (Evening): Mumbai Marines vs Northern Challengers
- June 7 (Afternoon): Gujarat Diamonds vs Southern Spartans
- June 7 (Evening): MP Tigers vs UP Brij Stars
- June 9 (Afternoon): Gujarat Diamonds vs MP Tigers
- June 9 (Evening): UP Brij Stars vs Southern Spartans
- June 10 (Afternoon): Mumbai Marines vs MP Tigers
- June 10 (Evening): Gujarat Diamonds vs Northern Challengers
- June 11 (Afternoon): Mumbai Marines vs Southern Spartans
- June 11 (Evening): MP Tigers vs Northern Challengers
Knockout Stage
- Semi-final 1: June 12
- Semi-final 2: June 12
- Final: June 13
A total of 19 matches are scheduled across the competition.
Where to Watch Big Cricket League 2026 Live?
Fans can watch BCL Season 2 live through multiple platforms.
TV Broadcast
- Sony Sports Network
Live Streaming
- Sony LIV
- FanCode
The availability of both television and digital streaming options ensures that fans can follow every match throughout the tournament.
BCL Season 1 Champions: Mumbai Marines
Mumbai Marines created history by becoming the inaugural champions of the Big Cricket League.
Led by Irfan Pathan, the team enjoyed an impressive campaign and capped it off with a memorable victory in the final. Mumbai Marines defeated Southern Spartans in the title clash after successfully chasing a target of 210 runs.
Jesal Karia finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 404 runs, while Malinda Pushpakumara topped the bowling charts with 12 wickets.
Their success established Mumbai Marines as the benchmark franchise in the competition, and they entered Season 2 as the defending champions.
Why BCL Stands Out From Other T20 Leagues
The biggest attraction of the Big Cricket League remains its Pro-Am concept. Unlike traditional franchise tournaments, BCL allows amateur cricketers to share the field and dressing room with former international stars.
The format not only creates competitive cricket but also provides mentorship, exposure, and opportunities that many aspiring cricketers may never have received otherwise. That unique combination continues to make BCL one of the most interesting domestic cricket competitions in India.
As the tournament progresses towards the knockout stage, fans can expect intense contests, inspiring stories, and plenty of entertainment as six teams chase the Big Cricket League 2026 title.
