BHUBANESHWAR: With the resumption of live sports in the country, Indians are lining up for a shot of cricket. And what better way to energise the nation in these Covid times than with the most dynamic and exhilarating format of the game – the T20. Leading the way in this direction is the inaugural edition of Odisha Women’s T20 League scheduled from 22 January to 1 February 2021.

Organised by Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) and TCM Sports Management Pvt Ltd (TCM), the opening game will see the Odisha Purple team squaring off against the Odisha Red side at the KIIT Sports Complex in the state capital.

With the launch of the league, the OCA holds the distinction of being the first state association to have a women’s intra state T20 league. The first edition of the Odisha Women’s T20 will have a total of five teams battle it out over 22 matches, which will include five day-night matches. All the matches will be played at Bhubaneswar and will be live streamed on Fancode. MGM Minerals has come on board as the title sponsor.

The league will feature the top cricketers from the state of Odisha, including the likes of Madhusmita Behera and Sushree Dibyadarsini. The OCA endeavours to unearth top women cricketers from the state of Odisha by providing a world class day-night match experience to the players participating.

TCM will be responsible for all commercial rights related to the coveted event. The sports marketing firm holds exclusive ground rights across various cricket stadia in India and globally. Outside India, TCM holds the exclusive naming, sponsorship and in-stadia rights across New Zealand Cricket, Cricket West Indies, and The Asia Cup (Asian Cricket Council).

“We are very excited as we are the first state which is conducting a Women's T20 League and which is being live streamed in Fancode. This will boost the morale of our state women cricketers and we are also very proud of being associated with TCM,” said OCA secretary Sanjay Behera.

TCM CEO Basant Dhawan added, “We are excited to partner with the OCA for the inaugural Women’s T20 Day/Night competition. The effort that the Odisha Cricket association is making to encourage women cricket will go a long way in promoting the game in the districts of Odisha.”