Patiala, August 21:
Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), with the objective of promoting and expanding women’s cricket, has launched the four-team Punjab Queens Cup at the Dhruv Pandove Stadium in Patiala. The tournament will be played from August 21 to August 29.
The tournament features four teams—Malwa Mail, Puadh Express, Majha Brigade, and Doaba Titans. In the opening match, Malwa Mail registered a convincing 26-run victory over Majha Brigade.
Batting first, Malwa Mail posted 140/5 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Majha Brigade were restricted to 114/9. Malwa Mail ‘s Kanika Ahuja delivered an outstanding all-round performance, scoring 61 runs and claiming 2 wickets. Avneet Kaur Sandhu contributed 31 runs, while Mamta Rani starred with the ball by taking 3 wickets.
Speaking at the inauguration of the tournament, PCA Honorary Secretary Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer extended his best wishes to all four teams and encouraged the players to make the most of this platform. He said that women’s cricket in Punjab has witnessed remarkable growth overthe past few years and highlighted that the captain of the current Indian women team, Harmanpreet Kaur, belongs to Punjab. He also noted that Harleen Deol and Amanjot Kaur have brought glory to the state as members of India’s World Cup-winning team.
Meet Hayer said that PCA remains committed to the continued growth of women's cricket by creating more competitive tournaments, improving infrastructure, and providing greater opportunities for women cricketers. He emphasized that empowering women through cricket is one of PCA s key priorities, and tournaments like the Punjab Queens Cup will play a vital role in nurturing future talents who will go on to represent Punjab and India.
He expressed confidence that the tournament would serve as an important platform to
showcase the immense talent in Punjab’s women,s cricket and provide emerging players with valuable competitive exposure Meet Hayer further informed that two matches will be played every day, with the first match starting at 9:00 AM and the second at 2:00 PM. The final will be played on August 29 at 10:00 AM. In case rain affects the final, an additional three-hour reserve time has been kept to ensure a result.
The tournament is being played in the T20 format and is being live-streamed on the Punjab
Cricket Association,s official YouTube channel, allowing cricket fans to enjoy the entiretournament live.
