Ankur Paul

Ankur Paul is a right-handed opening and top-order batter from Bengal who is the kind of player who doesn’t announce himself with fireworks; he does it with patience, and then he keeps going for a very long time.

His story begins on the competitive grounds of Kolkata’s maidan, where reputations are built one gritty innings at a time. Coming through the Cricket Association of Bengal’s youth pathways, Paul grew into a technically disciplined, run-hungry opener who treats the new ball as a challenge to be solved. For leading first-division clubs like Town Club and East Bengal, he topped the batting charts season after season, and in one CAB league campaign he piled up over 1,000 runs - the kind of heavy domestic numbers that inevitably force selectors to take notice.

Paul has also proven that his game is not restricted to traditional multi-day formats. During the 2021 Bengal T20 Challenge, he featured as a key opening option for the Barrackpore Bashers alongside veteran Sudip Chatterjee. He provided consistent starts throughout the group matches and delivered a standout performance in the tournament final at Eden Gardens against the Kolkata Heroes, scoring a brilliant 61 off 42 balls to help his side secure the championship title. He has also turned out for other regional franchises like the Siliguri Strikers and Novus Purulia Royals, blending his orthodox batsmanship with high-tempo adaptability.

Years of heavy domestic run-scoring and age-group seasoning culminated in his first-class debut for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy in the 2026-27 season. He slotted straight into a competitive top order alongside established names like Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Gharami, and Abishek Porel, marking a clear vote of confidence in his red-ball temperament as the state side integrates fresh homegrown talent.