In an effort to empower female cricketers and raise the stature of women’s cricket in the state, ManoramaOnline, the No. 1 news portal in Malayalam, proudly hosted the ManoramaOnline SUPER WOMEN’S CUP in association with Chungath Jewelry & Chaver Movie. The tournament was held on August 25th and 26th at the Paris Sports Center (PSC) in Ernakulam.
Amid the ODI Cricket World Cup fever gripping the nation, the event witnessed tremendous enthusiasm and participation from both players and spectators, making it a grand success. The primary objective of the tournament was to support women cricketers.
The journey to the championship was marked by intense competition and sportsmanship. Social, digital and print media were effectively utilized to invite entries from women’s cricket teams. Eight formidable teams advanced to the knockout stage. They were: Brawlers Cricket Club, Wisden Cricket Club, Lenkara Jewelry Design Institute, Marthoma College, Scoreline Cricket Club, St. Paul’s College, St. Teresa’s College and UC College.
After fierce battles, four teams — Lenkara Jewelry Design Institute, UC College, Marthoma College and Wisden Cricket Club — entered the semifinals.
After an exciting semis, Widen and UC College advanced to the final match.
In a thrilling title clash, Wisden Cricket Club emerged victorious, clinching the ManoramaOnline SUPER WOMEN’S CUP, defeating an exceptionally skilled UC College.
To add to the excitement, a friendly match was played between the champions Wisden Cricket Club, and the lead actors of the upcoming Malayalam movie “Chaver,” featuring iconic stars such as Kunchako Boban, Antony Pepe, Arun Nair, Tinu Papappacha and their crew.
The tournament, spanning over two action packed days, was played in front of a packed audience at the Paris Cricket Turf in Ernakulam. The winners received a cash prize of Rs 25,000, while the runners-up were awarded Rs 15,000 at the prize distribution ceremony attended by Shri Hibi Eden, honourable MP of Ernakulam & Mrs Uma Thomas, MLA of Thrikkakara. Excited by the overwhelming cricket atmosphere, guests also tried their hand at batting and balling along with the movie crew ahead of the ceremony.
In a heartwarming gesture, participants and celebrities who were part of the tournament signed a cricket bat, extending their best wishes to the Indian Men’s Cricket team for their upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup campaign. The signed bat will be presented to the Indian cricket team and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) through the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA).
Kunchako Boban, Malayalam superstar and the lead actor of “Chaver,” expressed his excitement at being part of the tournament and commended the women cricketers for their outstanding performance. Antony Varghese, popularly known as Antony Pepe, praised the women cricketers and encouraged them to dream of following in the footsteps of Minnu Mani, the only player from Kerala to be picked in the inaugural Women’s Premier League auction and to elevate their game to the international level, representing the country.
The ManoramaOnline team successfully revitalized the campus connect, especially among women centric colleges in the state, through this campaign. The overwhelming response and enthusiasm of the participating teams have prompted ManoramaOnline to announce this event as an annual tournament.
ManoramaOnline Sports, Women, and Movie digital channels collaborated seamlessly to host the tournament, resulting in a high level of excitement among the audience and increased session durations during the live updates.