The Odisha Pro T20 League, whose schedule was earlier fixed, will now be held from September 17 to September 26. Earlier, the coaches and captains of the six franchises — Cuttack Panthers, Sambalpur Warriors, Puri Titans, Bhubaneswar Tigers, Keonjhar Miners, and Rourkela Steelers — had already been announced. Yesterday, the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) completed the player draft process for all the teams, in the presence of OCA President Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, Secretary Sanjay Behera, Joint Secretary Prabhat Bhol, and Treasurer Bikash Pradhan. Franchise owner of Cuttack Panthers, Shubhashree Behera, along with OCA members, also attended the event. Secretary of the Football Association of Odisha and President of the Odisha Athletic Association, Ashirbad Behera, joined as the chief guest. During the draft, each franchise picked 16 players, with the option of adding two more. OCA Secretary Sanjay Behera remarked that the league would be a transformative step for Odisha cricket, and players gaining experience here would perform well in domestic tournaments, the IPL, and even get opportunities to play for India. He extended best wishes to all players and franchise owners. The tournament is being organized in collaboration between OCA and Arriva Sports. Players were divided into five categories, and their fees were announced prior to the draft — Marquee (₹1,25,000), Category-A (₹1,00,000), Category-B (₹75,000), Category-C (₹50,000), and Category-D (₹40,000).