Sports

Hope Women's T20 Challenge will inspire more girls to take up cricket: Ganguly

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday announced Jio as the title sponsor of the 2020 edition of the Women's T20 Challenge to be played in Sharjah from November 4.

Sentinel Digital Desk

NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday announced Jio as the title sponsor of the 2020 edition of the Women's T20 Challenge to be played in Sharjah from November 4. The partnership will also have the support of Reliance Foundation Education and Sports For All (RF ESA).

This is a historic partnership, as for the first time a sponsor has signed with BCCI exclusively for the women's matches, said the board in a media release.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said: "As BCCI grows the game of cricket across all formats, one key area of focus has been to grow the women's game. We hope the Jio Women's T20 Challenge will inspire more young girls to take up the sport and give parents the confidence that playing cricket is a great career opportunity for their daughters."

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said: "We look forward to seeing the great women's sports stories that will be shared as a result of this initiative. We want to support and create concrete ways to grow the pipeline of women talent in cricket."

"Our goal with the Women's T20 Challenge is to build a pathway to a dedicated Women's' IPL. Signing an exclusive title sponsor for the Women's T20 Challenge, is a great testament to the property, allowing it to be self-sustainable," he added. IANS