40-year-old Anustup Majumdar, Abishek Porel & Dhara Gujjar bag top honours at CAB Annual Awards 2023/24

Veteran batter Anustup Majumdar won Cricketer of the Year while Dhara Gujjar bagged the highest honour in the women’s category at the CAB Annual Awards 2023/24 held at Dhono Dhanye Auditorium in Kolkata on Saturday, September 14.

Anustup has hit a purple patch since turning 35, notching up 13 centuries since the start of 2019/20. He bagged the Pankaj Gupta Memorial Cup and a cash prize of ₹50,000 for being the best player last season. The legendary Sourav Ganguly presented the award to him. The ex-Pune Warriors India man was also conferred with the PM Ghosh Memorial Trophy for finishing as Bengal’s highest run-getter in the last Ranji Trophy. The 40-year-old scored 510 runs in seven matches at an average of 63.75 with three centuries and a fifty to boot.

Dhara Gujjar took home the CAB Challenge Cup and the same amount as his male counterpart. The 22-year-old, who played three matches for the Mumbai Indians in the inaugural WPL 2023, amassed 282 runs in four innings at a stunning average of 141 in the Women’s Under-23 One-Day Trophy. Bengal lost to Haryana by two wickets in the semifinal.

Dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel was adjudged Gentleman Cricketer of the Year for having a breakout season. He cemented his place in the Delhi Capitals line-up, and finished IPL 2023 with 327 runs at an average of 32.7 and a stunning strike rate of 159.51. The southpaw also recorded his first hundred for Bengal – 114 off 219 balls against Chhattisgarh.

Mohammad Shami was the recipient of a Special Award for his outstanding performances at the 2023 ODI World Cup. The 34-year-old, who is currently nursing a right heel injury, finished as the highest wicket-taker with 24 scalps in just seven games.

The ceremony, attended by stars like Ajay Jadeja and Sandeep Patil, saw Lifetime Achievement Awards handed out to former India players Pranab Roy and Runa Basu.

Seamer Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal was among the few people to have his name announced thrice. He won the Best Fast Bowler of the Year award, the Tarak Nath Ghosh Memorial Trophy for taking the most wickets for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, and a cash prize of ₹40,000 for making his debut in the premier red-ball competition. The 24-year-old from UP’s Kushinagar took 31 wickets in six matches including two five-wicket hauls.

Bengal handed nine caps through the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy. All of them received a cheque worth ₹40,000. The seven members part of the East Zone squad, which won the Senior Women's Inter-Zonal T20 Trophy, were felicitated. As were the highest wicket-takers and run-getters in the first ever men's and women's Bengal Pro T20 League.

India wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh and fast bowler Akash Deep were awarded ₹1 lakh each for making their Test debut. While Richa donned the whites for the first time last December against Australia, Akash played versus England in Ranchi in February this year. 19-year-old seamer Titas Sadhu was presented with ₹50,000 for representing the country in the shortest format.

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Notable awardees at CAB Annual Awards 2023/24

A handful of stars of Indian cricket graced the occassion

Anustup Majumdar: Cricketer of the Year (Pankaj Gupta Memorial Cup & ₹50,000), Highest run-getter for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy (PM Ghosh Memo Challenge Trophy)

Abishek Porel: Gentleman Cricketer of the Year (Pankajlal Roy Memorial Trophy)

Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal: Best Fast Bowler of the Year (Shute Banerjee Memorial Trophy), Highest wicket-taker for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy (Tarak Nath Ghosh Memorial Trophy), Ranji Trophy debut (₹40,000)

Dhara Gujjar: Best senior Women’s Cricketer of the Year (CAB Challenge Cup & ₹50,000), Highest run-getter for Bengal in Women’s Under-23 One-Day Tournament (CAB Challenge Cup)

Mohammad Shami: Special Award

Pranab Roy: Lifetime Achievement Award (Karthik Bose Lifetime Achievement Award)

Runa Basu: Lifetime Achievement Award (Karthik Bose Lifetime Achievement Award)

Akash Deep: Test match debut (₹1 lakh), Duleep Trophy debut (₹20,000)

Richa Ghosh: Test match debut (₹1 lakh), Selection in senior women’s batters’ camp under NCA (₹5,000)

Titas Sadhu: T20I debut (₹50,000), selection in senior women’s batters’ camp under NCA (₹5,000)

Deepti Sharma: Highest run-getter for Bengal in Senior Women’s T20 Tournament (CAB Challenge Cup), Selection in senior women’s batters’ camp under NCA (₹5,000)

Shahbaz Ahamad: Duleep Trophy debut (₹20,000), Deodhar Trophy debut (₹20,000)

Sudip Kumar Gharami: Duleep Trophy debut (₹20,000)

Mita Paul: Highest wicket-taker for Bengal in Senior Women’s One-Day Tournament (CAB Challenge Cup)

Mohit Roy: Best Under-23 Cricketer of the Year (CAB Challenge Cup & ₹20,000)

Vaibhav Yadav: Best Under-23 Bowler (CAB Challenge Cup & ₹20,000), Highest wicket-taker for Bengal in Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy (CAB Challenge Cup)

Prayas Ray Barman: Highest run-getter for Bengal in Col. C.K. Nayudu (CAB Challenge Cup)

Kashish Agarwal: Best Under-23 Women’s Cricketer of the Year (CAB Challenge Cup & ₹20,000), Highest run-getter for Bengal in Senior Women’s One-Day Tournament (CAB Challenge Cup), Highest run-getter for Bengal in Women’s Under-23 T20 Tournament (CAB Challenge Cup)

Chandrahas Dash: Best Under-19 Cricketer of the Year (CAB Challenge Cup & ₹15,000), Highest run-getter for Bengal in Cooch Behar Trophy (Subrata Ghosh Memorial Challenge Trophy), Selection in High Performance Under-19 Camp under NCA (₹5,000)

Priyanka Prasad: Best Under-19 Women’s Cricketer of the Year (CAB Challenge Cup & ₹15,000), Highest run-getter for Bengal in Women’s Under-19 One-Day Tournament (CAB Challenge Cup)

Yudhajit Guha & Priyanshu Patel: Best Under-19 Bowler (CAB Challenge Cup & ₹15,000)

Ankit Chatterjee: Highest run-getter for Bengal in Vijay Merchant Trophy (CAB Challenge Cup)

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