Abishek Porel, one of the most promising wicketkeeper-batters in the country, was handed a major setback in his career, when he was arrested on August 11 after being accused in an alleged rape and sexual offence case. A medical student had lodged a complaint accusing him of sexual exploitation on the false promise of marriage, coercion, and blackmail. He has now secured a bail from the Chinsurah High Court, which was handed to him on September 18, and 11 days after this he has already made his return to cricket, as he has now been named in the Bengal squad.
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) officially announced a 16-man squad that will play a series of red-ball practice fixtures against Assam at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati in preparation for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. Abishek Porel has been named in this squad as one of the wicketkeeper-batters alongside Shakir Habib Gandhi. The squad is scheduled to depart for the tour on September 30 and conclude on October 6.
All you need to know about the Abishek Porel controversy
The legal controversy surrounding Abishek Porel originated on June 30, 2026, when an FIR was filed at Magra Police Station in West Bengal. A young female medical student alleged that the Delhi Capitals star engaged in a physical relationship under the assurance of marriage, which he later refused to honour. She also accused the wicketkeeper-batter of coercing her into intimacy and threatening to circulate private photographs if she pursued legal action.
Following an inquiry, the police arrested Abhishek Porel on August 11. They booked him under 19 sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, most of which were non-bailable offences, alongwith provisions under the Information Technology Act. Porel denied the allegations prior to his arrest, asserting that the relationship was consensual.
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The matter was placed before Justice Sougat Bhattacharyya at the Calcutta High Court around the time of the arrest, and Porel was subsequently remanded to custody by a Chinsurah magistrate, who instructed the authorities to seize and examine digital devices in his possession.
The investigation saw further complications when police subsequently detained an associate of Abishek Porel as well as the complainant during related stages of the inquiry.
Abishek Porel has been viewed as one of Bengal’s leading young prospects since making his First-Class debut in the 2021–22 season.
He broke into the national spotlight in 2023 when he was signed by the Delhi Capitals as a replacement for the injured Rishabh Pant.
Bengal squad for Assam practice matches
Sudip Chatterjee (Captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ankur Paul, Ankit Shukla, Sumanta Gupta, Subham Chatterjee, Abishek Porel (W.K.), Shakir Habib Gandhi (W.K.), Pradipta Pramanik, Karan Lal, Aamir Gani, Soummyadip Mandal, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Md. Kaif, Geet Puri, and Ishan Porel.
