With the aim of providing a platform to young female cricketers in its home state of Rajasthan, Royals Sports Group-owned IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday announced the launch of a women’s T20 competition in partnership with the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA).
The competition – Rajasthan Royals Women’s Cup 2022 – will be held from September 16 and 19 in the city of Jodhpur, with the trials scheduled for September 16, followed by six league matches along with the final from September 17.
A total of six teams will be taking part in the inaugural edition of the RR Women’s Cup, representing the six major cities of Rajasthan – Jaipur Warriors, Jodhpur Gladiators, Udaipur Thunderbolts, Ajmer Blazers, Kota Mavericks and Bikaner Strikers. Each team will have a pool of 25 players at its disposal, with 15 players each shortlisted from the trials to be held at the Spartans Cricket Academy Ground, Uchiyarda on September 16 and overseen by Royals’ Head of High Performance Operations Romi Bhinder.
The six league matches will be conducted at the Spartans Cricket Academy Ground, Uchiyarda in Jodhpur on September 17 and 18, followed by the Final on September 19. The league matches on both days will have start timings of 7 AM, 10:30 AM and 2 PM respectively, with Rajasthan Royals’ explosive all-rounder Riyan Parag and local hero Shubham Garhwal set to be present for the Final on 19th September.
All matches will be livestreamed on Indian cricket streaming platform CricHeroes.
Commenting on the purpose of the competition, Rajasthan Royals CEO, Jake Lush McCrum said, “Transforming society through cricket is our overarching purpose as a franchise, and with the RR Women’s Cup 2022, we are delighted to be bringing such an exciting opportunity to the talented girls of our home state with the support of the Rajasthan Cricket Association. With as many as 150 players from across the state expected to participate in the tournament, we are sure to witness some intense battles on the field and also identify potential talents that could be part of the state and national team, as well the Women’s IPL in the future.”
Royals’ Head of High Performance Operations Romi Bhinder along with delegates of the Rajasthan Cricket Association will also be providing guidance and support to all the players during and post the tournament for their continued development.