Chennai: The eighth edition of the Junior Super Kings inter-school T20 tournament will be held between December 26, 2023, and January 26, 2024. Former India cricketer Hemang Badani unveiled the tournament jersey and trophy at an event at the Super Kings Academy. At Thoraipakkam on Saturday.
The tournament is recognized and supported by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and title-sponsored by The India Cements Limited. This edition of the tournament will feature teams from outside Tamil Nadu for the first time. Overall, there will be 101 teams from 18 districts of Tamil Nadu apart from teams from Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.
Tamil Nadu has 18 districts: Chennai, Trichy, Villupuram, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Vellore, Ranipet, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari.
“From a 32-team tournament in Chennai in 2012 to a tournament with over 100 teams, the growth of the Junior Super Kings has been phenomenal. We are also excited that for the first time teams from outside the state are participating. Chennai Super Kings Cricket CEO KS Vishwanathan said, this is a harbinger of the future for the Junior Super Kings.
Speaking about the impact of the Super Kings Academy on grassroots cricket in Tamil Nadu, he said, “The tournament has provided a platform for players like Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar and Sai Sudarshan. I am confident that this year’s edition will bring out even more stars.”
Addressing the students, former India cricketer Hemang Badani said, “Junior Super Kings is an amazing platform for young cricketers. It has gone from strength to strength and has ensured that cricket remains paramount.”
The tournament will be played in two phases. The first phase (26 December to 7 January) will be played in Chennai and other districts in a knockout format.
“We have been supporting cricket since 1964 and Junior Super Kings is a natural extension of that. We have been with Junior Super Kings for the last 10 years. We started in 2012,” said R Parthasarathy, chief marketing officer, The India Cements.
He concluded, “We are now delighted to be on board as principal sponsor for the next three years.”
