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MI Junior - Mumbai Indians' flagship inter-school cricket tournament under the Reliance Foundation Education and Sports For All (ESA) initiative, began with its sixth season on Thursday.
Through MI Junior, the Mumbai Indians aim to inspire the next generation of Maharashtra's budding young cricketers by providing a quality competition at iconic grounds, according to a release. The opening ceremony took place at the MCA Cricket Ground in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. Ahead of the curtain raiser, Mumbai Indians Bowling Coach Paras Mhambrey said, "MI Junior is a tournament where dreams begin to take shape, and it is fabulous to see the scale at which it is taking place. I am a Maidan person, and growing up, seeing so much grass on the outfield was a rarity. To sit in the same dressing rooms as their heroes with their pictures on display is amazing. Sitting on the same chair where your heroes have sat must be so inspiring for the kids and such an incredible feeling. The seed is being planted, and we will see at least a couple of these players represent Mumbai in the next 5-6 years." The Mumbai leg of the competition is affiliated with the Mumbai Cricket Association, while the Nagpur leg, which is scheduled to kickstart on February 25, is affiliated with the Vidarbha Cricket Association. The tournament will feature participation from boys and girls across the Boys U-14, Girls U-15, and Boys U-16 categories and will be conducted across two phases -- the regular competition phase followed by the MI Junior Rising Stars phase. The latter will feature 4 teams in the boys' category and 2 teams in the girls' category, which will be formed based on the performances of the players in the regular competition phase. Key highlights of MI Junior Season 6 include: - 140 matches to be played across the tournament- Participation from 1,380 young players- 92 teams competing- Support from 184 coaches The winners of the tournament will get an opportunity to participate in a training session with the Mumbai Indians coaching staff, designed to provide exposure and hone skills. Supported by Reliance Foundation under the ESA programme, MI Junior continues to create a competitive match-day experience for young athletes while generating employment and promoting inclusivity through the engagement of women match officials and physiotherapists. The Season 6 opener between defending champions Shardashram Vidyamandir International School and St. Rocks High School ended in a thrilling draw, with the teams heading home with a point each in the bag. (ANI)
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