The Chhattisgarh Cricket Premier League (CCPL) 2026 features six franchise teams chasing the Season 3 title from June 3 to June 14, 2026, at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Nava Raipur.
Specifically, Bilaspur Bulls, Rajnandgaon Panthers, Raipur Rhinos, Bastar Bisons, Surguja Tigers, and Raigarh Lions form the six-team grid.
Moreover, this guide ranks the contenders, profiles each franchise, and lists every player in all six full squads. Therefore, by the end of this read, fans will know exactly which team to back through 18 matches.
CCPL 2026 Tournament Snapshot
Above all, here is the essential context before diving into team analysis. Notably, the entire 18-match season plays out at a single venue, which keeps logistics tight and rest cycles shorter than usual.
| Details | Info |
|---|---|
| Tournament | Chhattisgarh Cricket Premier League (Season 3) |
| Dates | June 3 to June 14, 2026 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Total Matches | 18 |
| Venue | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Nava Raipur |
| Organizer | Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS) |
CCPL 2026 Title Contender Rankings
First of all, here is how the six CCPL franchises stack up entering Season 3. Specifically, the rankings weigh captaincy pedigree, recent form, squad balance, and championship hunger. Consequently, expect a tight battle for the top four playoff berths.
| Rank | Team | Captain | Status | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bilaspur Bulls | Shashank Singh | Top Contender | Active IPL 2026 finisher leading hungry 2024 finalists |
| 2 | Rajnandgaon Panthers | Ajay Jadav Mandal | Defending Champion | Joint Season 2 winners with proven balance |
| 3 | Raipur Rhinos | Amandeep Khare | Strong Contender | India U-19 captaincy pedigree plus deep top-order |
| 4 | Bastar Bisons | Sourabh Majumdar | Dark Horse | Aggressive pace attack and fearless young batters |
| 5 | Surguja Tigers | Ashutosh Singh | Outside Bet | Patient chasing identity with handy wrist spin |
| 6 | Raigarh Lions | Rishabh Tiwari | Spoiler Role | Defensive identity built for upsets, not titles |
CCPL 2026 Team-by-Team Profiles And Full Squads
Moreover, here is a closer look at each franchise covering identity, key strength, biggest concern, the X-factor player, and every player in the full squad. Additionally, captain (C) and wicketkeeper (WK) tags appear next to the relevant names for quick reference.
1. Bilaspur Bulls
Captain: Shashank Singh | Wicketkeeper: Harsh Sahu | Identity: Death-overs chase masters
Key Strength: Captain Shashank Singh is in active IPL 2026 form with Punjab Kings, which gives the Bulls a genuine finisher who has chased down big totals on the biggest stage.
Biggest Concern: Top-order consistency is the lingering question, since the Bulls leaned heavily on Shashank himself during the 2024 final run.
X-Factor Player: Mohammad Irfan – His left-arm pace through the powerplay can flip the toss-bat call from a danger into an advantage.
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Shashank Singh |
| Wicketkeeper | Harsh Sahu |
| Full Squad (20) | Shashank Singh (C), Aayush Pandey, Shobhit Sharma, Mohit Raut, Prateek Yadav, Mohammad Irfan, Varun Singh Bhue, Rudra Pratap, Ankit Kumar, Harsh Rathore, Ravi Roshan Singh, Shubham Maurya, Bharat Gondwani, Anurag Mishra, Shahbaz Hussain, Rishabh Sharma, Aditya Shrivastava Jr, Abhijeet Tah, Deepak Singh Baghel, Harsh Sahu (WK) |
Verdict: Title favourites. Furthermore, the 2024 runners-up scars give the Bulls a sharper edge in knockouts this season.
2. Rajnandgaon Panthers
Captain: Ajay Jadav Mandal | Wicketkeeper: Pawan Parnate | Identity: Defending champions with balanced spin core
Key Strength: Notably, the Panthers carry the calm of joint Season 2 winners, plus a versatile captain who can bat anywhere from three to seven.
Biggest Concern: However, defending a title brings target pressure, especially when opposition units study your blueprint across an entire offseason.
X-Factor Player: Sumit Ruikar – His all-round middle-overs control unlocks two extra bowling options inside the powerplay.
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Ajay Jadav Mandal |
| Wicketkeeper | Pawan Parnate |
| Full Squad (19) | Ajay Jadav Mandal (C), Sanjeet Desai, Ashish Dahariya, Aishwary Marya, Sahil Shariff, Abhyuday Singh, Dev Aditya Singh, Satyam Dubey, Aryan Jaiswal, Sumit Ruikar, Rahul Naik, Jivesh Butte, Shubham Patel, Vikalp Tiwari, Gaurav Mishra, Ayush Sinha, Shivam Singh, B Balaji, Pawan Parnate (WK) |
Verdict: Genuine contenders. Therefore, expect the Panthers in the top two if their middle-overs spin holds shape.
3. Raipur Rhinos
Captain: Amandeep Khare | Wicketkeeper: Daksh Kumar Parakh | Identity: Top-order anchored tempo control
Key Strength: Specifically, captain Amandeep Khare brings India Under-19 plus senior state captaincy credentials, giving the Rhinos clear-headed leadership through pressure overs.
Biggest Concern: On the other hand, the side leans heavily on its top three, which makes any early collapse genuinely costly.
X-Factor Player: Daksh Kumar Parakh – His glovework plus a flexible top-order role lets the Rhinos float the batting card based on match situation.
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Amandeep Khare |
| Wicketkeeper | Daksh Kumar Parakh |
| Full Squad (20) | Amandeep Khare (C), Anuj Tiwari, Harsh Sharma, Shreyam Sundram Kamal, Sahban Khan, Vaibhav Sahu, Mayank Yadav Jr, Ashish Chouhan, Prashant Painkra, Sudhanshu Verma, Lavin Coster, Amit Kumar Yadav, Kritesh Sahu, Arin Dwivedi, Prabhash Shukla, Gaurav Chaturvedi, Mohammad Sohail, Krishna Taunk, Tejasvi Kalb, Daksh Kumar Parakh (WK) |
Verdict: Strong playoff lock. Moreover, the Rhinos rarely fold under chasing pressure thanks to Khare’s pacing.
4. Bastar Bisons
Captain: Sourabh Majumdar | Wicketkeeper: Shashank Chandrakar | Identity: High-velocity new-ball attack
Key Strength: Furthermore, captain Sourabh Majumdar himself spearheads a pace-first powerplay attack that targets early breakthroughs rather than dot-ball squeezing.
Biggest Concern: Conversely, on flat surfaces with dew, that same aggression can leak boundaries quickly if the lines drift.
X-Factor Player: Suryakant Tiwari – His ability to bowl long spells through the middle keeps the Bisons honest after the powerplay riot.
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Sourabh Majumdar |
| Wicketkeeper | Shashank Chandrakar |
| Full Squad (19) | Sourabh Majumdar (C), Rahul Pradhan, Sangeet Soni, Rishi Sharma, Karthik Naidu, Abdul Anas Khan, Shashank Tiwari, Tejas Morey, Naman Dhruw, Utkarsh Tiwari, Suryakant Tiwari, Avnish Dhaliwal, Vijay Yadav, Manraj Singh Dhillon, Ambrish Kumar Singh, Ayan Upadhay, Chinmay Vishwakarma, Shivam Yadav, Shashank Chandrakar (WK) |
Verdict: Dangerous floater. Consequently, the Bisons can knock out any top-three side on a green-tinged morning surface.
5. Surguja Tigers
Captain: Ashutosh Singh | Wicketkeeper: Abhishek | Identity: Patient chases and partnership pacing
Key Strength: Additionally, the Tigers excel at constructing steady target chases, which suits second-innings night matches at Nava Raipur.
Biggest Concern: Although the chase template works, batting first and posting 175-plus is a clear gap in the side’s profile.
X-Factor Player: Janendra Sidar – His finishing range across the back five overs decides whether the Tigers post defendable totals batting first.
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Ashutosh Singh |
| Wicketkeeper | Abhishek |
| Full Squad (19) | Ashutosh Singh (C), Gagandeep Singh, Sanidhya Hurkat, Pratham Jachak, Anand Rao, Harsh Yadav, Shubham Singh, Dhananjay Nayak, Snehil Chadda, Amitesh Pandey, Shashwat Sharda, R Krish Chopra, Janendra Sidar, Upendra Kumar Yadav, Vashudev Bareth, Diwakar Tamrakar, Vivek Yadav Jr, Rohan Taank, Abhishek (WK) |
Verdict: Playoff outside bet. Nevertheless, a winning streak across the first three games keeps the Tigers firmly in the mix.
6. Raigarh Lions
Captain: Rishabh Tiwari | Wicketkeeper: Alok Sahu | Identity: Defensive discipline and ground fielding
Key Strength: Above all, the Lions hunt group-stage upsets through tight bowling lines and ruthless ground fielding rather than star firepower.
Biggest Concern: However, the squad runs leaner than its rivals on raw batting depth, which is a real concern across 18 league matches.
X-Factor Player: Imtiyaj Khan – His left-arm spin in the middle overs is the single lever Rishabh leans on to choke chasing sides.
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Rishabh Tiwari |
| Wicketkeeper | Alok Sahu |
| Full Squad (15) | Rishabh Tiwari (C), Aditya Shingh, Shubham Agarwal, Anurag Sahu, Kivnoor Singh Chhabra, Aditya Agarwal, Imtiyaj Khan, Jitesh Kumar Verma, Aayush Thakur, Praveen Kumar Yadav, Rohit Netani, Lovyam Rajput, Ashish Pandey, Pawandeep Singh, Alok Sahu (WK) |
Verdict: Spoiler role. Therefore, the Lions are unlikely to win the title, but they can absolutely derail a top-three contender’s playoff math.
Final Title Pick for CCPL 2026
Therefore, the Season 3 trophy realistically belongs to one of three sides. Specifically, Bilaspur Bulls carry the captaincy edge through Shashank Singh, the Rajnandgaon Panthers bring defending-champion calm, and the Raipur Rhinos offer the deepest top-order base. Furthermore, the Bastar Bisons can absolutely gatecrash on bowler-friendly mornings.
If forced to pick one champion, the call leans toward Bilaspur Bulls. Notably, Shashank’s active IPL 2026 finishing form plus the side’s 2024 final scars create rare championship hunger. However, in T20 cricket, a single 20-over collapse rewrites every prediction, which is why all six teams genuinely matter.
| Team | Title Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Bilaspur Bulls | Top Pick | Captain in active IPL 2026 form plus 2024 finalist hunger |
| Rajnandgaon Panthers | Strong Backup | Defending champion DNA and balanced squad |
| Raipur Rhinos | Outside Pick | Deep top order with experienced India U-19 captain |
| Bastar Bisons | Dark Horse | Pace-heavy attack that can upset top sides |
| Surguja Tigers | Long Shot | Chase template works only in night games |
| Raigarh Lions | Spoiler Only | Defensive identity, lean batting depth |
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Final Word: All 6 Teams Ready for CCPL 2026 With Balanced Squads
CCPL 2026 brings six sharply different team identities under one roof in Nava Raipur across 12 fast days. Specifically, Bilaspur Bulls enter as the favourites, Rajnandgaon Panthers defend their joint title, and four other franchises chase upsets.
Furthermore, with the final pencilled in for June 14, expect the playoff race to tighten by the second weekend. Therefore, lock in your team early because this season rewards conviction, not last-minute bandwagon jumps.
