How to join girls cricket in Jharkhand

Step-by-step advice on pathways, clubs, competitions and coaching for getting into girls cricket and women’s cricket in Jharkhand.

In the 2020-21 season, at the senior one-day tournament final, Railways, the strongest team in India for years, were playing against Jharkhand, whose march to the final came as a surprise. 

Until now, Jharkhand were never really seen as one of the ‘big’ teams. But thanks to years of hard work, good facilities and a chance to play plenty of cricket in the state, the women’s team is challenging top sides. Their star opener-wicketkeeper Indrani Roy (born in Bengal) has made it to the India national squad.

Unsurprisingly, Indrani’s idol is another stylish cricketer from Ranchi: none other than the legendary MS Dhoni! 

Before her, Jharkhand had two big names in women’s cricket: Seema Desai, who played for India in 1986, and pacer Shubhlakshmi Sharma.

Here’s how a girl from Jharkhand who enjoys cricket can pursue it seriously. 

Where to start  

Start by playing sports in your school. It doesn’t matter what sport – it will all help you build skills and fitness. Your school PE teacher will also be able to give you the basics of cricket if you want to concentrate on that. 

To get to a slightly higher level, join a private academy. A cheaper option may be to attend the camps held by the district cricket associations or join training at their grounds. 

The main cricket districts in Jharkhand for women’s cricket are: Bokaro, Jamshedpur, Simdega, Dhanbad, West Singhbhum, Ranchi. Other districts such as Skla-Khar, Deogarh, Giridih, Hazaribagh  and Ramgarh have also featured in tournaments at various points. 

Selection for the Jharkhand state women’s team 

Jharkhand has Under-19, Under-23 and senior women’s teams. 

The selection to each of these teams is slightly, different. Broadly, the route to selection is: Trials → Inter-district → Challenger tournaments → State team

Every district has its own junior and senior girl’s or women’s cricket teams. These teams are formed by ‘open trials’ and unofficial scouting. In some districts such as Dhanbad, where there are more girls participating, the district association may hold matches where players are divided into 2-3 teams. They play in a small tournament. The best players from this tournament will represent the district

The districts then play each other in various inter-district tournaments. These cover different age groups and formats: 

There are generally league games within two groups, and the top teams playing the knockouts. 

The next step is to get selected for the ‘challenger’ tournaments. The top players from the inter-district tournaments are selected and distributed across a smaller number of teams. There are two main such tournaments right now: 

  • Seema Desai Senior T20 Championship: Named after the late Seema Desai, who was a Jharkhand player who represented India, the tournament has four teams (red, blue, green, yellow). 
  • U23 T20 Challenger: Three teams take part. 

In 2021, for the first time, the Jharkhand Women’s T20 Trophy was organised. The teams taking part were: Bokaro Blossoms, Dumka Daisies, Ranchi Roses, Dhanbad Daffodils, Jamshedpur Jasmines. Players were selected by JSCA. The matches were streamed live online.  

Based on performances in all these tournaments, a state camp is held and the teams named. 

An illustration of a girl with her cricket kit around her, including cricket bat, cricket ball, pads, gloves and helmet.

Facilities

Ranchi, Dhanbad and Bokaro are prominent centres for women’s cricket in Jharkhand. 

Contact JSCA on 0657-2432722

Notable academies for Girls cricket in Jharkhand

If you have information on schools, colleges or academies that support girls cricket in Jharkhand, contact us and we’ll add it to this page!

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