Kolkata, June 24 (IANS) The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Wednesday announced the appointment of Ashoke Dinda and Utpal Chatterjee to spearhead its ambitious 'Vision 2028' player development programme, scheduled to commence in July 2026.

"The Cricket Association of Bengal on Wednesday announced two Bengal legends, Mr Utpal Chatterjee and Mr Ashoke Dinda, in the Vision 2028 programme starting July 2026. Mr Dinda has been named as the Head of Vision 2028 and Fast Bowling Coach. Mr Chatterjee has been named as the Spin bowling coach for Vision 2028," the CAB stated in an official release on Wednesday.

The 'Vision 2028' initiative is designed as a comprehensive blueprint to identify, promote, and elevate cricketing talent in Bengal. To ensure a unified and structured development pathways system, the apex state body has integrated the entire coaching core into the initiative.

Chatterjee played three ODIs for India in 1995, and later served as the head coach of Bengal in the 2008/09 season. Dinda, meanwhile, featured in 13 ODIs and nine T20Is for India from 2009 to 2013. Dinda is also serving as the Minister of State for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and Textiles in the West Bengal government.

According to CAB, the head coaches alongside the assistant coaches of all major state representative squads -- spanning the Under-16, Under-19, Under-23, and the senior men’s and women’s Bengal teams -- will be actively included within the operational folds of the Vision programme.

The development comes after CAB President Sourav Ganguly, Vice‑President Nitish Ranjan Dutta, and Treasurer Sanjay Das held a meeting with District Sports Association secretaries and representatives at Eden Gardens to chalk out the road map for the upcoming 2026‑27 local season, following the completion of men’s and women’s Bengal T20 leagues.

--IANS

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