THE SIXTH EDITION of MI Junior, the inter-school cricket tournament organised by the Mumbai Indians under the Reliance Foundation’s Education and Sports for All (ESA) initiative got underway on Thursday.
Designed to nurture Maharashtra’s next generation of cricketers, MI Junior offers a structured and competitive platform for young talent to develop their game. The opening ceremony was held at the MCA Cricket Ground in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai.
The Mumbai leg of the tournament is conducted in affiliation with the Mumbai Cricket Association, while the Nagpur leg set to begin on 25 February is affiliated with the Vidarbha Cricket Association.
This season will see boys and girls compete across three categories: Boys Under-14, Girls Under-15 and Boys Under-16. The tournament will unfold in two stages, the league phase followed by the MI Junior Rising Stars phase.
The Rising Stars stage will feature four boys’ teams and two girls’ teams, selected on the basis of standout performances during the league phase.
Season 6 key highlights are 140 matches scheduled, involving 1,380 young cricketers from 92 teams, supported by 184 coaches. The tournament champions will earn the opportunity to train with the Mumbai Indians coaching staff, a valuable experience aimed at sharpening their skills and offering professional exposure.
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.”
