MI vs KKR, IPL 2023: Mumbai Indians To Sport WPL Team Jersey In Today's Match As Part Of ESA Day

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Mumbai, April 16: Mumbai Indians set to wear the WPL team jersey in IPL 2023 match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday (April 16) as part of a special initiative.

Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians head into the match on the back of their first win of the season to take on Nitish Rana-led KKR at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in first match of Sunday's double-header.

Why is MI wearing WPL jersey?

MI men's team will sport the WPL team's jersey as part of the ESA (Education & Sport For All) day, an initiative by Reliance Foundation, headed by Nita Ambani. The match will also see over 19,000 girls present in Mumbai, witnessing the game between MI and KKR.

So, Rohit & Co will wear kits based on design of the inaugural WPL champions, the MI women's team that was led by Indian women's team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. The MI Women's team will also be present in the stadium during MI vs KKR match.

The Mumbai Indians also posted pictures of their players holding their respective jerseys for the upcoming game with the caption: "Special Jersey FOR #ESADay. Our boys will be donning the #WPL MI jersey tomorrow to inspire the girl child and we are all (holding back tears emoji) right now."

The Mumbai Indians support staff of both the men and women's team - Mark Boucher, the head coach of the men's team, Jhulan Goswami, the women's team's bowling coach, and Kieron Pollard, the men's batting coach, said that the initiative will motivate girls to take up sports as a profession.

"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," Boucher was quoted as saying in a video uploaded on MI's Twitter handle.

"Definitely, it's going to motivate them and encourage them. In the future, we will see a lot of girls coming into the sport," Goswami said on the impact of the ESA game.

"I think that's a fantastic sort of gesture, not only for kids or whatever, but for the ladies of this generation. It's very very instrumental in the development of any kid and, more so, ladies and girls, especially in sports. So, it gives you a different perspective of what you can accomplish as an individual and as a female," Pollard mentioned.