Archive · 12 Aug 2026
India's First Mixed-Gender Cricket League for Government School Youth Launches
A group that helps kids learn important life skills, called Girl Rising, teamed up with a big technology company called HP to start a special cricket league in India.
In this league, girls and boys from government schools play on the same teams, like equal teammates.
The league is called the Rise Premier League, and it is the first of its kind in India.
It started in a place called Bilha Block in Bilaspur.
The idea came from a comic book about a girl named Kusum who loved cricket even though people said it was not a game for girls.
The league gives children a chance to practice things like teamwork, leadership, and talking to each other.
Twelve schools are taking part, and more than 3,800 students will be involved.
Four mixed teams will play against each other, and the winners will be decided before October 10.
The goal is to show that girls and boys can do anything together and should always be treated equally.
Girl Rising India Foundation and HP launched the Rise Premier League (RPL), India's first organized mixed-gender cricket league for government school youth, in Bilaspur.
Girls and boys from 12 government schools across Bilha Block are taking part as equal teammates in the league.
The league was inspired by Kusum's Adventurous Innings, a comic book in Girl Rising's RISE curriculum about a girl determined to play cricket despite gender stereotypes.
Four mixed-gender teams will compete, with the league launching on the eve of International Youth Day (August 11) and concluding on October 10, ahead of the International Day of the Girl.
Following a successful pilot last year, the RISE program is set to reach more than 3,800 students across 12 government schools.
The initiative is supported by HP and the HP Foundation and organized with the Samarpit Centre for Poverty Alleviation and Social Research.
- Who
- Girl Rising India Foundation, HP and the HP Foundation, the Samarpit Centre for Poverty Alleviation and Social Research, and students from 12 government schools in Bilha Block.
- What
- The launch of the Rise Premier League, India's first organized mixed-gender cricket league for government school youth.
- When
- Launched on the eve of International Youth Day (August 11), with matches concluding on October 10.
- Where
- Bilha Block in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India.
- Why
- To help youth apply 21st-century life skills in real-world settings, challenge gender stereotypes, and promote gender equality through sport.
- League Name
- Rise Premier League (RPL)
- Launch Date
- Eve of International Youth Day (August 11)
- Conclusion Date
- October 10, ahead of International Day of the Girl
- Participating Schools
- 12 government schools across Bilha Block
- Students Reached
- More than 3,800 students
- Teams
- 4 mixed-gender teams
- Organizers
- Girl Rising India Foundation with Samarpit Centre for Poverty Alleviation and Social Research
- Supporters
- HP and the HP Foundation
- Inspiration
- Kusum's Adventurous Innings comic book in the RISE curriculum