Cricket is set to witness a historic shift as male and female players will compete together within the exact same squad rather than in separate fixtures. Scheduled to run from November 14 to 29 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, this innovative competition introduces a novel 80-over format designed to bring together young talent from across the globe.
The venue for this groundbreaking event will be the Sinhalese Sports Club, hosting a total of 160 young cricketers aged between 13 and 21 years. Selected from various corners of the world, these participants will be distributed evenly across four continental teams. Every single squad will consist of 20 girls and 20 boys playing side by side.
A core element of this competition is the parity rule, which ensures that the runs contributed by both male and female participants combine to form the final team score, meaning the collective effort dictates the ultimate outcome. According to tournament founder Gaurav Bahirwani, this equality extends beyond the boundaries of the field into the broadcasting arrangements, where both genders will receive equal screen time.
The structure of the matches is equally demanding, with every fixture designed to wrap up within a single day. The opening 40 overs will be contested during daylight hours using a traditional red ball and white attire. Following that, the final 40 overs will take place under the stadium lights using a white ball while players wear colored clothing. The runs accumulated across both phases will add up, and each side will get two opportunities to bat.
To guide this ambitious project, a high-profile advisory board has been established featuring legends such as AB de Villiers, Matthew Hayden, and Sir Clive Lloyd. Meanwhile, Delhi-based cricket coach Rajkumar Sharma will head the global selection committee, and Mike Fordham will oversee the operational management of the event.
