The Mumbai Indians Junior Cricket Tournament Season 6 wrapped up triumphantly at the iconic MIG Cricket Club in Bandra, with Modern English School (Girls U-15) clinching the winners’ trophy among 17 participating teams in the competition. Mumbai Indians Head Coach Mahela Jayawardene lit up the closing ceremony, congratulating the young boys and girls while firing them up to chase big dreams in cricket.
“This is our sixth year of organising MI Junior, and it’s getting more exciting every year,” Jayawardene beamed. “Sports is about participating, and at this age, it is about enjoying the competition more than anything. We are at an iconic venue today, from where a lot of Indian cricketers started their journey. I saw some iconic pictures in the dressing rooms, and I know that Hardik (Pandya) has also practised here in his early days. This is a great starting point for you to push yourselves and one day, hopefully, don the colours of Mumbai.”
In the spotlight was the Girls U15 final, where Modern English School (Chembur) edged out Parag English School by 4 wickets. Parag School posted 132/8 in 20 overs (Vedika Nikam 51, Swaasti Shinde 23; Rianna Nikhil 3/23, Nysa Bhalerao 2/11), but Modern chased it down in 17.2 overs for 135/6 (Ruth Saluja 40, Tanvi Rane 31 not out; Advaita Toraskar 3/25). Skipper Swaraa Jadhav, who won the toss and chose to field, led her unbeaten side, topping the points table with 6 points from 3 games, past Shardashram Vidyamandir International School in the semis by 52 runs after a blistering 194/6 in 20 overs.
Jadhav dominated the tournament, smashing 199 runs at a strike rate of 197.03 and an average of 66.33 across five innings, while grabbing 6 wickets at an average of 10.5 and an economy of 4.55 in four outings, joint leading her team’s bowling charts. Tanvi Rane fired 137 runs at 147.31 strike rate and 45.67 average in four innings, with Ruth Saluja close behind at 117 runs (139.29 SR, 58.50 avg). Nysa Bhalerao topped Modern’s bowling with 6 wickets at 9.33 average and 4.00 economy in four innings.
The numbers painted a thrilling tale across the girls’ fray: Parag’s Vedika Nikam ruled run-scoring with 229 runs at 181.75 strike rate and 76.33 average in five innings, while her teammate Mudra tallied 216 runs (196.36 SR, 43.20 avg). Bowling fireworks came from National English School’s Aanshu Ramesh Pal (11 wickets, 3.82 avg, 2.86 econ in four innings) and Parag’s Advaita Toraskar (10 wickets, 6.7 avg, 3.47 econ in five innings).
Jayawardene’s words resonated like a call to arms for these budding stars, many showing the grit and flair that define women’s cricket trailblazers. At MIG Club, a cradle for legends, these juniors aren’t just playing; they’re scripting their own journeys toward glory.
(Quotes sourced from MI Juniors)
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