Mumbai Indians (MI) men's team are all set to don the jersey of MI women's team in an IPL 2023 clash on Sunday against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The gesture from the men's team is to celebrate women in sports on the special ESA (Education and Sports for All) day, April 15, an initiative by the Reliance Foundation.
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Why are Mumbai Indians men wearing Mumbai Indians women's jerseys against KKR?
On the special occasion of ESA day, the Mumbai Indians men's team led by Rohit Sharma will don a special kit that is similar to the kit that the MI women's team wore in the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).
आपले boys are all set for the #ESADay 👕💙
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 15, 2023
#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MumbaiMeriJaan #ESADay @ril_foundation pic.twitter.com/hujrhb4Mlf
The decision to wear the women's team's kit is to celebrate ESA day, a noble initiative taken by the Reliance Foundation to celebrate women in sports.
What is ESA day observed by Reliance Foundation?
ESA stands for Education and Sports for All is an initiative taken by Reliance Foundation which is headed by MI principal owner Nita Ambani. On the special occasion of ESA day, 19,000 girls will watch MI taking on KKR in an IPL 2023 clash at the Wankhede Stadium.
An occasion special to #OneFamily is 🔙 💙
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 16, 2023
Celebrate this powerful cause with us today as we celebrate the #ESADay 👧#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MumbaiMeriJaan @ril_foundation pic.twitter.com/YiCw5bPKYC
Speaking to MumbaiIndians.com, Nita Ambani said, "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."
Speaking on celebrating ESA day, MI head coach Mark Boucher told the MI media team, "Mumbai Indians have been fantastic in creating this initiative and hopefully, it’s going to go out to the rest of the world. The biggest lesson is that they will take away from this game as well is that seeing sports and inspiring them to be able to play sport at a professional level one day."
How did the MI women's team perform in WPL 2023?
Under the leadership of Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh, MI women's won the inaugural edition of the tournament beating Delhi Capitals in the final by seven wickets.
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What next for Mumbai Indians?
After facing KKR on Sunday in Mumbai, MI travel to Delhi to take on DC on April 20.
