Mukesh Ambani's Jio will be the title sponsor for the upcoming 2020 edition of the Women's T20 Challenge, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Sunday. It is the first time a sponsor has signed with BCCI exclusively for the women's matches.
According to a press release issued by BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, the partnership will also have the support of Reliance Foundation Education and Sports For All (RF ESA).
"As BCCI grows the game of cricket across all formats, one key area of focus has been to grow the women's game. We hope the Jio Women's T20 Challenge will inspire more young girls to take up the sport and give parents the confidence that playing cricket is a great career opportunity for their daughters," Sourav Ganguly, BCCI President said in an official release.
Jay Shah, Secretary of BCCI, described the new partnership as a "great testament to the property, allowing it to be self-sustainable".
"We look forward to seeing the great women's sports stories that will be shared as a result of this initiative. We want to support and create concrete ways to grow the pipeline of women's talent in Cricket. Our goal with the Women's T20 Challenge is to build a pathway to a dedicated Women's IPL. Signing an exclusive Title Sponsor for the Women's T20 Challenge, is a great testament to the property, allowing it to be self-sustainable. We believe Jio and RF ESA as Title Sponsors will be strong partners for the Women's T20 Challenge," he said.
The Women's T20 Challenge is scheduled from November 4-9 in Sharjah. The competition will feature three teams namely Trailblazers, Supernovas, and Velocity.
BCCI announced the squads and schedule for the upcoming Women's T20 Challenge on October 11.
