UP Warriorz dedicate special WPL match to champion girls' education with 'Educate Girls'

So far, UP Warriorz have yet to open their points tally, having lost both their games against Gujarat Giants (GG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The special fixture, to be played on January 17 against the Mumbai Indians, is anchored in the belief that every girl deserves her innings, both on the field and in life, as per a press release from UP Warriorz.

At the heart of this initiative is the Warriorz' ongoing partnership with 'Educate Girls', a grassroots organisation working across underserved communities to improve access to education for girls. Together, the partnership seeks to spotlight open schooling as a critical pathway for girls who have had to step away from formal education due to social, economic, or personal circumstances.

Open schooling enables learners to complete their 10th and 12th grades without attending daily school, offering flexibility, credibility, and access at little or no cost. For many adolescent girls and young women, including athletes, caregivers, and first-generation learners, this model provides a second chance to continue learning in a way that fits their realities.

'Educate Girls' currently works across 12 states to strengthen the open schooling ecosystem and has set an ambitious 10x10 goal of reaching 10 million learners in 10 years, reinforcing education as a lifelong opportunity rather than a one-time pathway.

Using the scale and reach of the WPL, the UP Warriorz will leverage broadcast platforms, in-stadium presence, and fan engagement to bring this important conversation into the mainstream, moving beyond awareness to advocacy.

Speaking on the initiative, Jinisha Sharma, Director, Capri Sports, said, "At UP Warriorz, we believe sport has the power to shape conversations that extend far beyond the game. This special match reflects our belief that education should adapt to life, not the other way around. Through our partnership with Educate Girls, we hope to normalise second chances in education and remind every girl that her learning journey does not have to end because life took a different turn."

As part of the match, the team will take the field in a limited-edition jersey created exclusively for the occasion. Designed in collaboration with renowned artist Harun Robert, popularly known as Rob, the jersey features excerpts from handwritten letters penned by girls associated with Educate Girls. These notes, written to their future selves, are filled with dreams, hopes, and ambition. The jersey transforms into a canvas of aspiration, carrying the voices of girls onto cricket's biggest stage.

Speaking about the association, Safeena Husain, Founder and Board Member of Educate Girls, said, "When girls see their dreams reflected on a platform as powerful as the WPL, it sends a powerful message that their voices and their aspirations matter. This partnership with UP Warriorz helps reframe education as a lifelong promise, not a one-time event, and shows that with flexible, accessible, second-chance programs, learning can begin, pause, and restart at any stage of a girl's life."

Through this special match, the UP Warriorz reaffirm their commitment to using sport as a force for meaningful change, ensuring that as women's cricket continues to grow, so does its impact beyond the boundary. (ANI)