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Journalism of Courage
The Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) and the Women’s Maharashtra Premier League (WMPL) organised by the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) will kick off from June 4 at the MCA International Stadium in Gahunje, Pune. The tournament has free entry for spectators on all days. The opening ceremony of the MPL and WMPL will take place on the evening of June 4 and will feature a drone and light show and celebrity performances. This will be followed by the opening game of the MPL to be played between the defending champions Ratnagiri Jets and Eagle Nashik Titans.
Two teams from Pune 4S Puneri Bappa in MPL and Pune Warriors in WMPL will also be participating in the tournament. In total, the 2025 season of MPL will feature six teams — two-time defending champions Ratnagiri Jets, 4S Puneri Bappa, PBG Kolhapur Tuskers, Eagle Nashik Titans, Satara Warriors and Raigad Royals. The four teams participating in WMPL are Pune Warriors, Ratnagiri Jets, Solapur Smashers, and Raigad Royals. In this year’s player auction, a total of 409 male cricketers and 249 female cricketers went under the hammer.
MPL will be telecast on Star Sports 2 and will be streamed live on Jio Hotstar, while the WMPL will be streamed on Jio Hotstar.
At the press conference on Saturday, MCA president Rohit Pawar also announced that the association will provide a grant of ₹75 lakh to each district under its purview to develop cricket infrastructure. “Maharashtra Premier League is a platform that provides opportunities to emerging players from the state. It allows gifted cricketers from the remote regions of the state to make their mark at the national level. The ultimate aim is that the MPL should produce international players,” Pawar added.
The Maharashtra Cricket Association also announced plans to launch its cricket academy, modelled after the National Cricket Academy. This academy, to be named after former MCA president Ajay Shirke, will be established in Pune, followed by the launch of four regional academies across Maharashtra.
