Delhi Capitals (DC) wicketkeeper-batter Abhishek Porel is in line to become the next T20 captain for Bengal. With the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025) – India’s domestic T20 tournament slated to begin from November 26, Porel is currently in a tussle with incumbent white-ball skipper Sudip Kumar Gharami for the leadership role, Sportskeeda confirmed.
For the unversed, the DC star who was retained by the franchise for IPL 2026, recently made his captaincy debut for Bengal in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26, when he stood in for regular skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran for the match against Tripura.
Earlier, the 23-year-old led the Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers to consecutive semifinal appearances in the Bengal Pro T20 League.
It is also understood that apart from Porel, the Bengal T20 squad for SMAT 2025 will also feature India pace veteran Mohammed Shami and see the return of India A batter Abhimanyu Easwaran into the short-format side after two years.
Bengal are placed in Group C alongisde Gujarat, Haryana, Baroda, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry and Services. They will play their tournament opener against Baroda on November 26.
ALSO READ:
Porel has evolved into a loyal custodian of the Capitals which saw the franchise retain him for a second consecutive time ahead of the IPL 2026 season after having made his IPL debut with them back in 2023.
The left-hander finished the last IPL 2025 season as the team’s second-highest run-scorer after KL Rahul. Porel accumulated 301 runs in 13 games at an average of 25.42 and strike-rate touching 150, including a fifty as well. In IPL 2024, he had an even better campaign, amassing 327 runs averaging 32 and a strike rate of 160.
Given his talent and the form he looked in, Porel could have had a superb IPL 2025 too but he fell prey to the management trying him in different positions (as opener and at No.3) with their opening slot uncertain after Jake Fraser-McGurk’s subpar show.
Nevertheless, Porel has proved his mettle in the DC outfit and will hope to add his new learnings to his next stint with DC in IPL 2026.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
