After completing the Nagpur leg last week, the Pune edition of 3rd MI Junior Inter-School Cricket Tournament started today at the Kokate Sports Academy, Pashan, Pune and was inaugurated by The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) officials.

A total of 28 teams have registered under three categories (Boys: U14 and U16 I Girls: U15) for matches in Pune. Overall, more than 2500 children from over 200 schools have signed up for the MI Junior tournament across the three cities -- Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.

The tournament will also have women scorers who are accredited with the MCA, officiating the matches.

MI Junior is an initiative conceptualized by Mumbai Indians owner Mrs. Nita Ambani, who has been the flag bearer of promoting sports as part of the educational curriculum and has been spearheading various grassroots sports initiatives through Reliance Foundation including ESA (Education and Sports for All).

As with previous seasons, an additional gratification for the winners of the tournament from Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur is an opportunity to train and gain invaluable knowledge under the guidance of a member of Mumbai Indians Coaching Team.

MI Junior through this tournament seeks to ignite the spirit of sports amongst the younger generation and push for sports to become an integral part of the education system and Reliance Foundation’ ESA plays an important role.

ESA (Education and Sports for All) is one of the key initiatives of Reliance Foundation, combining its focus areas of education and sports for development and Mumbai Indians have been supporting ESA since 2010. The ESA initiative seeks to provide holistic development through a focus on education & sports and to enhance the quality of the sporting ecosystem by providing facilities, training, infrastructure, and equipment across multiple sporting properties throughout the year. 

Kids also get the opportunity to watch a live home game of Mumbai Indians, which is fondly referred to as ‘ESA day’.