NE SPORTS BUREAU
CHENNAI, DEC 19
Chennai Super Kings on Thursday launched the ninth edition of the Junior Super Kings Inter school T20 tournament. The competition will see 108 schools from across 23 districts in Tamil Nadu and three other states participating. The tournament is recognised by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and will be title sponsored by Surf Excel and co-sponsored by Equitas Small Finance Bank and Super Kings Academy.
The Stars of the future are born here! 🤩🔥
Junior Super Kings 2024-25 is coming soon! 🦁🔜 https://t.co/w7rktbC6u6— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 19, 2024
- The competition will see 108 schools from across 23 districts in Tamil Nadu and three other states participating
- Phase 1 of Junior Super Kings 2024-25 will be held between December 26 and December 31
- Matches will be conducted in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Trichy, Ariyalur, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari
- Phase 2 will be held between January 17 and January 22, 2025
- Eight teams will contest the second phase: Three teams from the Districts, the Winner & Runner of the Chennai phase and one team each from Andhra, Goa & Karnataka
The tournament was launched in an event graced by KS Viswanathan (CEO, Chennai Super Kings), Mukesh Choudhary (Chennai Super Kings player), Gurjapneet Singh (Chennai Super Kings player), RN Baba (Assistant Secretary, TNCA), Louis Mariano (Operations Head, Super Kings Academy), Vignesh Murali (Head of Marketing, Equitas Small Finance Bank) and S Sriram (Head of Finance, Chennai Super Kings).
The first phase of Junior Super Kings 2024-25 will be held for teams from Chennai and 22 other districts. Matches will be conducted in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Trichy, Ariyalur, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.
The second and final phase of the competition will take place in January 2025 in Tirunelveli where the champion will be crowned. Eight teams will contest the second phase: Three teams from the Districts, the Winner & Runner of the Chennai phase and one team each from Andhra, Goa & Karnataka.
“CSK has always taken pride to tap talent at the grassroot level. The Junior Super Kings was started in 2012 originally only for the Tamil Nadu state, where we started with city and a couple of districts. Then it spread into more districts, and now, in the second stage we also have teams from Kerala, Goa, Andhra, and Karnataka. So, over the years it is our plan that we will make it an All-India tournament,” said KS Viswanathan, CEO Chennai Super Kings.
“Junior Super Kings is a tournament that has gone on to produce the players of the caliber of Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Sai Sudharshan, and Hari Nishanth, all of whom have gone on to do well in the IPL.”
RN Baba, Assistant Secretary of TNCA, said: “After CSK started academies and organizing tournaments in districts, the results show the representation from districts has increased in all age groups. I would like to thank CSK management team especially for the support to engage district level cricket. Thank you and keep it going.”
In a statement, Srinandan Sundaram, Executive Director, Home Care Hindustan Unilever Limited, said: “We are thrilled to partner with the Junior Super Kings, as their dedication to nurturing young talent aligns perfectly with our values at Surf Excel.
He further said, “Surf Excel’s Purpose, Dirt is Good, is anchored on preparing kids to go far in life. This collaboration is a great opportunity to support the development of future cricketing stars, and we look forward to contributing to their journey both on and off the field.”
Vignesh Murali, Head of Marketing, Equitas Small Finance Bank, said: “It is a matter of immense pride for us to be associated with Chennai Super Kings. We want the cricketers from this state to get high quality training. So, I will not be surprised if we see the next Washington Sundar, the next Sai Sudharsan, and we assure CSK that Equitas will always be supportive of nurturing young talent.
Phase 1 of Junior Super Kings 2024-25 will be held between December 26 and December 31.
Phase 2 will be held between January 17 and January 22, 2025
Phase 1
This is the Ninth edition of the Junior Super Kings Inter School T20 Tournament. This Tournament will be feature schools from 23 districts in Tamil Nadu. Qualified Umpires & Scorers will be appointed. Winners & Runners will be awarded a trophy. Player of the Match awards will be presented for every match. Special Awards will be presented to the Best Batter, Best Bowler, Best All Rounder and Player of the Final. Colour T-Shirts and Caps will be provided for all the players. The whole tournament will be played with White ball.
Phase 2
Phase 2 of the tournament will be played at Tirunelveli with the Winners and Runners of Chennai and three teams (Winners) from the Districts, and one school each from Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka. It will be played in a league format with 8 teams split into two groups. Each team will play 3 league matches and top two teams from each group will qualify for the Semi-finals. A total of 15 matches will be played (12 league games + 3 knockouts). The semifinal and final will be played under floodlights with Kookaburra Balls.