Raipur,
Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai met and honoured the girls’ cricket team from Ichkela village at the Multipurpose Indoor Stadium in Jashpur on March 28, distributing cricket kits and wishing them success.
He said the players have brought pride to the state through their performances and encouraged them to achieve greater success with discipline and dedication, contributing to “national sporting recognition.”
It is noteworthy that the girls from the Government Pre-Matric Girls’ Hostel in Ichkela, Jashpur, have been consistently delivering remarkable performances in cricket. At present, 17 players from this group are representing Chhattisgarh in Under-17 and Under-19 state-level competitions, while nearly 40 players are regularly practising the sport.
In 2025, the Surguja division created history by winning the Under-17 state-level cricket championship after a 25-year gap. Of the 11 players on the winning team, 9 were from Ichkela MCC. Similarly, in the Under-19 category, Surguja division secured the silver medal, with 8 out of 11 players coming from Ichkela MCC.
Additionally, in the Inter-State Cricket Tournament 2025 held in Raigarh, the Ichkela MCC girls delivered an impressive performance to secure first position. So far, 11 players from this group have represented the district and the state at national-level competitions.
The Chief Minister appreciated coaches Shri Santosh Shankar Soni and Smt Pandari Bai for their dedication, calling it an “inspiring model of nurturing talent despite limited resources.” He reaffirmed that the state government will continue to support such players with “better facilities and opportunities” to help Chhattisgarh excel in sports.
