MI Junior returns to Nagpur, opening doors for young cricketers

Nagpur: MI Junior – Mumbai Indians' flagship inter-school cricket tournament under the Reliance Foundation Education and Sports For All (ESA) initiative, began its 6th season in Nagpur on Wednesday. Through MI Junior, Mumbai Indians aims to inspire the next generation of Maharashtra's budding young cricketers by providing quality competition at iconic grounds.Ahead of the opener, Prashant Vaidya, chairman Cricket Improvement Committee, VCA, said, "Introducing a competition like MI Junior, which provides a platform for schoolchildren, is very important for the development of cricket. The lessons you learn in school, especially through sport, stay with you, and a tournament like this will certainly help young boys and girls in their competitive cricket journey. I would like to thank Mumbai Indians for bringing such a fantastic initiative to Nagpur."
The final of the Nagpur leg is scheduled to take place on March 7. 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 2 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 a total of 140 matches with a participation from 1,380 young players. 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.