Delhi Capitals cricketer Abishek Porel walks free after 36 days in jail, court grants bail in alleged rape case

Bengal cricketer granted bail after marathon custody battle

Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel has been granted bail by a Chinsurah court after spending 36 days in custody, bringing temporary relief to the 23-year-old Bengal cricketer in an alleged rape and criminal intimidation case. The development, first reported by ABP Ananda, has been confirmed by multiple reports documenting the bail order.

The case against Porel

Porel was arrested on August 11 after the Calcutta High Court directed police to take him into custody, following a complaint filed by a medical student from Karnataka. The complainant alleged that she had been in a relationship with the cricketer for around three-and-a-half years and that the couple had planned to marry. She further claimed that the two had travelled abroad together during the relationship, but that Porel later denied the relationship existed — prompting her to approach the police.

The complaint was lodged at Mogra police station on June 23. The complainant also referred to a dispute between the two roughly one-and-a-half years earlier that had drawn police intervention, although no formal complaint was filed at the time, according to her account.

Police registered a case under Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 311 and 318 and other provisions of the BNS, as well as Sections 66 and 72 of the Information Technology Act. The proceedings also encompassed allegations of criminal intimidation and other offences alongside the rape allegation. The court additionally directed authorities to seize Porel's electronic devices over concerns regarding the possible dissemination of photographs of the complainant.

Bail after 36 days

Following his arrest, Porel was produced before the Chinsurah court, where bail was initially denied and he was sent to judicial custody. He has now been granted bail after more than a month behind bars. Porel has consistently denied the allegations levelled against him.

IPL and domestic career at stake

The wicketkeeper-batter has been part of the Delhi Capitals setup since 2023, when he made his IPL debut. He has played 35 games overall, scoring 769 runs at an average of 25.63 and a strike rate of 145.37, including four half-centuries. Porel made his first-class debut for Bengal in the 2021-22 season and has since become an established figure in the domestic circuit, representing his state in 32 first-class matches and 23 List A games.