CHENNAI, DEC 23
The eighth edition of Junior Super Kings (JSK) 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 the trophy at Super Kings Academy in Thoraipakkam, Chennai on Saturday.
The tournament is recognised and supported by Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and title-sponsored by The India Cements Limited. Equitas Small Finance Bank and Freyer International Logistics Pvt Ltd will be the associate sponsors.
- Chennai Super Kings’ Pan-Tamil Nadu Inter-school T20 tournament to start on December 26, to feature teams from other states for the first time.
- The Junior Super Kings is a wonderful platform for young cricketers. It has gone from strength to strength and ensured that cricket is of prime importance: Hemang Badani.
- We have been with Junior Super Kings for last 10 years. We started in 2012 and we are now happy to be associated as Principal Sponsors for the next three years: R Parthasarathy, Chief Marketing Officer, The India Cements Limited
- We are thrilled to embark on a partnership with this prestigious tournament, which has been a breeding ground for immense talent over the past decade: Vignesh Murali Bhat, Senior Vice President & Head – Marketing and Brand – Equitas Small Finance Bank.
- We are proud to be part of this tournament for the second consecutive year. It is a very big platform for all the youngsters who have an ocean of opportunities ahead of them: TJ Srinivasaraju, Managing Director, Freyer International Logistics Pvt Ltd
The tournament gets bigger and better this year with teams from outside Tamil Nadu participating for the first time. Overall, there will be 101 teams from across 18 districts of Tamil Nadu apart from teams from Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.
The 18 districts in Tamil Nadu are: Chennai, Trichy, Villupuram, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Vellore, Ranipet, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari.
Addressing at the event CEO of Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited (CSKCL) K S Viswanathan said, “From being a 32-team tournament in Chennai in 2012 to a tournament with more than 100 teams – the growth of Junior Super Kings has been phenomenal. We are also excited that teams from outside the state are participating for the first time. It’s a precursor for what the future holds for the Junior Super Kings.
Chennai Super Kings has always believed in giving back to the sport. Initiatives like Junior Super Kings and Super Kings Academy are an important part of our plans to develop cricket at grass root level across the state. The tournament has provided platforms for players like Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar and Sai Sudarshan among others. I am confident that there will be more stars coming out of this year’s edition as well.”
Addressing the students, Hemang Badani said, “The Junior Super Kings is a wonderful platform for young cricketers. It has gone from strength to strength and ensured that cricket is of prime importance. Talking about cricket, the only thing that I can keep telling you is that you need to burn yourself on the soil, burn yourself on the ground. Parents force you to go to school at the age of 3 or 4. But cricket is something all of you have chosen. Make full use of it.
You have the prime example of one boy who just made his debut (for India) recently – Sai Sudharshan. He too has played Junior Super Kings. I have seen Sai from the age of 12 or 13. He used to go for his practice at the St. Bedes Ground. I have seen his drive for excellence, his drive to be something in life and what you see is a byproduct of him putting in the time and effort and preparation in the nets. So what you see today is not something that has happened overnight. It is something that has happened over time. You have to be consistent and be prepared to put in that hard work. All the best,” he added.
R Parthasarathy, Chief Marketing Officer, The India Cements Limited said, “We have been supporting cricket since 1964 and the Junior Super Kings is a natural extension of it. We have been with Junior Super Kings for last 10 years. We started in 2012 and we are now happy to be associated as Principal Sponsors for the next three years. Apart from contributing to nurturing grass root cricketers, India Cements also wants to encourage other talents of students. India Cements will continue to support endeavours on and off the cricket field.”
Vignesh Murali Bhat, Senior Vice President & Head – Marketing and Brand – Equitas Small Finance Bank said, “We are thrilled to embark on a partnership with this prestigious tournament, which has been a breeding ground for immense talent over the past decade. One of our core objectives is to elevate lives and provide the youth with a novel approach to banking. Through this collaboration, we eagerly anticipate making an even more substantial impact in fulfilling these goals.”
TJ Srinivasaraju, Managing Director, Freyer International Logistics Pvt Ltd said, “We are proud to be part of this tournament for the second consecutive year. It is a very big platform for all the youngsters who have an ocean of opportunities ahead of them. This is a wonderful platform for all the young players who want to come up and make use of the best opportunities. We want these youngsters to play not only for the state, but the country as well.”
Tournament highlights
- The tournament will be played in two phases. The first phase (December 26 to January 7) will be played in a knockout format across Chennai and other districts.
- Two teams (winners and runners) from Chennai, 6 winners from other districts will play the second phase from January 22 to January 26 in Tirunelveli. The second phase will be in a league format. The final will be played under lights.
- The tournament will be covered in Super Kings Academy’s digital platforms.
- Matches in Chennai and the second phase will be live-streamed on Chennai Super Kings platforms.
- Chennai Super Kings will take care of boarding and lodging for participating teams wherever relevant.
- Colour T shirt and caps will be provided for all players.
- Player of the match awards will be presented for every match. Special Awards will be presented to the Best Bowler, Best Batsman, Player of the Tournament and Player of the Final.
