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The second season of the Big Cricket League (BCL) is currently underway, with six teams competing for the title in what is one of the most unique cricket tournaments in the world. This competition is being played from June 3 to June 13, 2026 at Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, Greater Noida.
Unlike traditional franchise tournaments, the Big Cricket League follows a typical Pro-Am model that brings together international cricket stars and amateur cricketers on the same platform. The league was established to provide talented players a second chance to pursue their cricket dreams while competing against some of the biggest names in the game. With experienced international players, veterans and emerging amateur talents sharing the dressing room, the BCL continues to offer a different flavor of franchise cricket.
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What is 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-spotting system.
The idea behind the competition is simple yet powerful, to provide aspiring cricketers, whose careers may be hampered by personal, professional or financial circumstances, an opportunity to compete on the professional stage.
Season 2 has once again brought together many of the best-known names in international cricket, adding quality and experience to the tournament.
big cricket league 2026 venue
All the matches of BCL Season 2 are being played at Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, Greater Noida.
The single-venue format allows teams to remain in the same venue throughout the tournament, while providing fans with continuous cricket action across 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 Marine
The defending champions entered the season under the leadership of Irfan Pathan. After winning the inaugural edition, Mumbai Marines remains one of the strongest teams in the competition and are under pressure to defend their crown.
southern spartans
Led by former India batsman Suresh Raina, the Southern Spartans offer a blend of international experience and exciting amateur talent. They were among the strongest teams during the inaugural season.
MP Tigers
Under the captaincy of Yusuf Pathan, MP Tigers have plenty of firepower and experience. The team includes many former international and domestic stars who are capable of changing the game quickly.
Northern Challengers
Shikhar Dhawan, one of India’s most successful white-ball batsmen, has attracted significant attention for Northern Challengers. The team aims to improve on its previous campaign.
gujarat diamonds
Sri Lankan legend Tillakaratne Dilshan is leading 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 Bridge Stars has fielded an experienced team of many renowned international cricketers.
bcl 2026 full squad
Mumbai Marine Squad
Irfan Pathan, Jessal Karia, Chamara Silva, Manpreet Gony, Malinda Pushpakumara, Subodh Bhati, Manan Sharma, Abhishek Kaul, Shivam Kumar, Malay Bharti, Ankit Stephen, Hershel Harrison, Ganesh Rajan, Mihir Agarwal, Vineet Singh, Mohammad Faheem, Vijendra Kumar Nagarwal.
Southern Spartans Squad
Suresh Raina, Abhimanyu Mithun, Faiz Fazal, Herschelle Gibbs, Phil Mustard, Solomon Mirey, Abhishek Sakuja, Shrestha, Asmut Faiyaz, Abhishek Kumar Yadav, Milan Yadav, Santosh Yadav, Abdul Rehman, 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, Mohammad Irfan Kaleem, Mohammad 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 Masakadja, Jeetendra Kumar, Asghar Afghan, Sami Ahmed Khan, Monu Kumar, Apoorva Mehrotra, Salil Yadav, Vedprakash Manda, Narendra Kumar Meena, Garvit Agarwal, Rahat Agarwal, Aryan Praveen, Sumit Chaudhary, Adarsh 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, Mahavir Singh Rathore, Bhuneshwar Pratap Singh, Rajat Singh, Vishal Prasad, Ashish Kumar Tiwari, Kundan Kumar, Srijan 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 stage, the top four teams in the points table qualify for the knockout stage.
The knockout stage consists of two semi-finals followed by a final. Teams get two points for a win, while in no-result matches each side gets one point. If teams finish level on points, the net run rate (NRR) determines their final position.
big cricket league 2026 full schedule
league stage
– June 3: Mumbai Marines vs UP Bridge Stars
– June 4 (noon): Southern Spartans vs Northern Challengers
– June 4 (evening): Gujarat Diamonds vs Mumbai Marines
– June 5 (noon): Northern Challengers vs UP Bridge Stars
– June 5 (evening): MP Tigers vs Southern Spartans
– June 6 (noon): Gujarat Diamonds vs UP Bridge Stars
– June 6 (evening): Mumbai Marines vs Northern Challengers
– June 7 (noon): Gujarat Diamonds vs Southern Spartans
– June 7 (evening): MP Tigers vs UP Bridge Stars
– June 9 (noon): Gujarat Diamonds vs MP Tigers
– June 9 (evening): UP Bridge Stars vs Southern Spartans
– June 10 (noon): Mumbai Marines vs MP Tigers
– June 10 (evening): Gujarat Diamonds vs Northern Challengers
– June 11 (noon): Mumbai Marines vs Southern Spartans
– June 11 (evening): MP Tigers vs Northern Challengers
knockout stage
– Semifinal 1: 12 June
– Semifinal 2: 12 June
– Final: 13 June
A total of 19 matches are scheduled in 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.
Under the leadership of Irfan Pathan, the team enjoyed an impressive campaign and ended it with a memorable win in the final. After successfully chasing the target of 210 runs, Mumbai Marines defeated Southern Spartans in the title match.
Jasal Kariya 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 is BCL different from other T20 leagues?
The biggest attraction of Big Cricket League is its Pro-Am concept. Unlike traditional franchise tournaments, the BCL allows amateur cricketers to share the field and dressing rooms with former international stars.
This format not only creates competitive cricket but also provides mentorship, experience and opportunities that many aspiring cricketers would never have otherwise received. This unique combination makes BCL one of the most interesting domestic cricket competitions in India.
As the tournament heads towards the knockout stage, fans can expect intense competitions, inspiring stories and plenty of entertainment as six teams chase the Big Cricket League 2026 title.
