MI vs KKR: Captain of the Mumbai Indians women's team Harmanpreet Kaur on Sunday walked out along with men's team stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav for the toss in MI vs KKR game. Mumbai Indians face Kolkata Knight Riders in their fourth game of the tournament at the Wankhede Stadium as Mumbai look for the second consecutive win.
Why Harmanpreet Kaur came along with Suryakumar at the toss?
Harmanpreet Kaur was in presence at the toss when captains of the two contesting teams- Suryakumar Yadav and Nitish Rana walked out to flip the coin. Notably, Mumbai Indians are celebrating a special initiative called 'ESA Day' (Education and Sports for All).
Under this initiative, MI have invited 19000 young girls from 36 NGOs to witness the cricket match. They have also invited the women's team of Mumbai Indians to the game and Kaur's presence in the middle is part of the initiative. MI host a game every season where they invite children from across NGOs and this game is dedicated to inspiring the girl child.
"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," Nita Ambani said.