Delhi Capitals and Bengal wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel has been granted bail by the Chinsurah court in West Bengal after spending 36 days in judicial custody. The 23-year-old was arrested on August 11 following a Calcutta High Court order in connection with rape and criminal intimidation charges filed by a medical student from Karnataka.
His release was expected on Friday, September 19, coinciding with the Vishwakarma Puja holiday.
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A complaint was registered at Mogra Police Station in Hooghly district on June 23 under FIR Case No. 346/26. The complainant alleged that Porel engaged in a physical relationship under a false promise of marriage over roughly three and a half years. She accused him of later denying the relationship, threatening to release intimate photographs, and subjecting her to confinement and assault.
The FIR stated:
“Abishek Porel illegally confined the complainant. He denied her food and deliberately kept her isolated. As a result, the complainant became physically weak and was unable to walk properly. Despite having a flight, she was compelled to seek immediate medical attention due to the injuries sustained.”
Charges were filed under 19 sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 64(1), 66, 69, 74, 75(2), 79, 115(2), 117(2), 124(1), 127(2), 308(2), 351(2), 351(3), 316(2), 318(3), and 61(2). Sections 66E and 72 of the Information Technology Act were also invoked. Most charges are non-bailable.
Calcutta High Court Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya had ordered Porel’s arrest and the seizure of his electronic devices. Police arrested him late on the night of August 10 from Emami City under the Dum area in Hooghly.
Hooghly Rural Superintendent of Police Kunwar Bhushan Singh confirmed the arrest at the time:
“There was a case lodged against him and a court order to arrest him. He was arrested late last night. He will be produced in court today.”
Kunwar Bhushan Singh, Hooghly Rural SP, August 11, 2026
Porel was produced in Chinsurah court on August 11 and sent to three days of police custody. On August 14, the same court denied his bail application and remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody. Police also arrested one of Porel’s friends and a woman in connection with the case.
Porel has consistently denied all allegations.
Bail was granted after two developments. The complainant submitted an affidavit to the court stating she had no objection to his release. Police also filed a chargesheet supported by digital evidence. An earlier dispute between the two parties, approximately 18 months before the June 2026 complaint, had concluded without formal charges.
What 36 Days Cost Porel’s Career
On August 22, the Cricket Association of Bengal dropped Porel from both the red-ball and white-ball probables for the 2026-27 domestic season. No statement accompanied the decision, but it came 11 days after his arrest.
Porel has played 35 IPL matches for Delhi Capitals, scoring 769 runs at a strike rate of 145.37 with four half-centuries. His best IPL season came in 2024: 327 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 159.51. In IPL 2026, he managed 108 runs across four innings before the season ended. In domestic cricket, he has represented Bengal in 32 first-class and 23 List A matches since his debut in the 2021-22 season.
The case remains active. Charges are registered and further court hearings are expected. Whether Porel returns to Bengal’s domestic squad or retains his place at Delhi Capitals for IPL 2027 depends on how the legal proceedings develop. Neither the franchise nor the BCCI has commented publicly.
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