At the time, Saha had indicated he won’t be featuring in BCCI’s white-ball tournaments and focus on the first-class format in a bid to help Bengal lift the Ranji crown that eluded him in 2019-20, when they were pipped by Saurashtra in the final

Not wanting to dwell on the reasons for his acrimonious exit, Saha had insisted on “only looking forward” while expressing a keenness to explore opportunities in coaching over roles in administration.

Saha, who became India’s first-choice wicketkeeper following MS Dhoni’s Test retirement in 2014, last played for India in December 2021, when he was believed to have been told by the then team management, led by Rahul Dravid, that India were moving on from him.

At the time, while he was arguably India’s best wicketkeeper, the emergence of Rishabh Pant made it tougher, although Saha continued to play the role of a second wicketkeeper on many occasions.

Upon his return to Bengal, Saha keenly mentored young Abishek Porel, who has stepped up to become an all-format regular for Bengal. The 22-year-old wicketkeeper was recently among four players retained by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the mega auction.

As for his own IPL career, it’s likely Saha won’t feature in the auction. Until now, Saha has featured in every edition of the IPL since its inception in 2008, and was most recently with Gujarat Titans, with whom he won a title in 2022.

Saha has also previously represented Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings, for whom he hit a memorable century in the 2014 final, where they were runners-up.