Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will lock horns with two-time title holders Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Eden Garden stadium on Sunday (April 16).
In the high-octane clash, Rohit Sharma-led MI will be cheered by 19000 young girls from 36 NGOs and 200 special children as part of a unique initiative .
This event is part of the Reliance Foundation and MI’s initiative Education and Sports for All (ESA), where every season the team hosts a game in the MI schedule for which it invites children from NGOs across the city for a live game and cheer for their favourite cricketers. The MI vs KKR match is dedicated to inspiring the girl child as part of the ESA initiative- #ESADay.
Also, Sunday's match is dedicated to inspiring the girl child as part of this year's initiative, which began in 2010. The franchise also said a total of 500 BEST and private buses along with over 2000 volunteers will be deployed to transport these 19,000 children to the stadium. Moreover, there will be the provision of 100,000 food boxes and sufficient availability of water.
Sachin Tendulkar MI’s icon and mentor has been part of the ESA journey since its inception. The Initiative seeks to make educational and sports experiences that provide inspiration and educational opportunities accessible to children from all backgrounds. Guided by its overarching ‘We Care’ philosophy, through the year, Reliance Foundation, through ESA, provides grants to non-governmental organizations to carry out various activities in education and sports.
"This special match is a celebration of women in sports. This year saw a landmark beginning for India's women cricketers with the first-ever Women's Premier League. To spotlight girls' right to education and sport, we are dedicating this year's ESA event to the girl child! Reliance Foundation is proud to bring over 19,000 young girls from different NGOs to enjoy the IPL match live in the stadium this Sunday," said Nita M. Ambani, Chairperson, Reliance Foundation.
Talking about Rohit's brigade's performance in the ongoing IPL, they notched up their first win after losing the first two matches. MI defeated Delhi Capitals by six wickets in their previous game. Earlier MI lost back to back matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings respectively. Meanwhile KKR are coming with ha 23-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
As far as MI versus KKR's head-to-head encounters are concerned, in a total of 31 matches, Paltans have won 22 games while Nitish Rana-led Kolkata side has won just nine ties.
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