Kolkata, November 15: The eagerly anticipated Under-15 ‘Junior Knights Championship’ Inter-School Competition kickstarted in Kolkata this week, celebrating its 7th edition of empowering budding cricketers from the region. Established to showcase emerging talent, this prestigious tournament, conducted in honour of the Mayor of Kolkata, a joint initiative between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), aims to inspire and guide our next generation of cricketers.
The Junior Knights Championship commenced on Tuesday morning with an opening clash between last year's champions St John’s Public School vs Patha Bhavan, at the prestigious Eden Gardens. The opening ceremony of the tournament was graced by Debasish Kumar, the Member Mayor in Council of KMC alongside Snehasish Ganguly, the president of CAB among others.
Venky Mysore, CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders, said: "Through the 2024-25 Junior Knights Championship, we at KKR are entering the seventh year of our journey towards providing a flourishing opportunity for young cricketers across Kolkata and rest of West Bengal to shine. I am thankful for the continuous support lent by Cricket Association of Bengal and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, whose efforts allow us to keep improving the standard of the competition each year. Over the years, using this platform, our future stars have showcased their skills and built confidence, as they aspire to achieve greater things in life through cricket. I am looking forward to another successful season coming up, and would like to wish all the best to all 64 participating schools."
CAB President Snehasish Ganguly said: "First of all, I would like to thank Mr Debasish Kumar for his presence here at the opening ceremony of the tournament. I also thank Kolkata Knight Riders and Kolkata Municipal Corporation for their support. Through this tournament, I feel the next-generation cricketers of India and Bengal will come forward. From this tournament, we had shortlisted a group of U-13 players who took part in a Vision camp (last year). A lot of talents have come forward because of this tournament and I hope this year, too, it will be a success.
64 schools, divided into 16 groups, will compete in 111 matches across 15 venues in and around West Bengal. The tournament is built into the one-day format comprising 45 overs-per-side in the league stage, before transitioning into two-day games with 85 overs-per-side for the semifinals and the Final.
The tournament lays focus on age-group under-15 cricket and over the years, has gone on to become the most significant inter-school cricket championship in Bengal. It offers youngsters an exposure to high-level competition, with an opportunity to experience playing on high-quality pitches under competitive conditions.
