Kataka: The inaugural Odisha T20 League CM Trophy 2026 was launched at the historic Barabati Stadium here on Sunday, with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi saying the tournament will provide a platform to identify and promote cricketing talent from rural areas across the state.
“After football, kho-kho, kabaddi and volleyball, cricket has now been included as the fifth sport in the Chief Minister’s Trophy. This will help identify rural cricketing talent across our 30 districts and provide them with a new, major platform to showcase their skills,” Majhi said while inaugurating the tournament.
The Chief Minister said sports are no longer confined to competitions but have emerged as a pathway to successful careers, adding that India’s sporting landscape has undergone a major transformation over the past decade.
He said the growth of T20 and league cricket has opened up several opportunities for young players and expressed confidence that the tournament would help discover promising cricketers from Odisha.
The association of former India cricketer Suresh Raina and Odisha’s former international cricketer Debashish Mohanty as ambassadors of the league would further inspire young players, Majhi said.
“There is no shortage of talent or infrastructure in Odisha,” he said, adding that the identification of promising players would help the state produce more national and IPL-level cricketers in the future.
Majhi also highlighted the government’s plans to strengthen sports infrastructure across the state.
He said the government is constructing state-of-the-art stadiums across all 314 blocks at an estimated cost of Rs 4,124 crore. A high-tech sports complex is also proposed at Gothapatna in Bhubaneswar, he said.
The state government is also committed to the complete renovation of Barabati Stadium with the aim of developing it into one of the country’s premier sporting venues, the Chief Minister said.
Majhi praised the Odisha Cricket Association for its initiative to establish an Under-14 cricket academy and extended his best wishes to the six participating teams, their captains, coaches and players.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Raina recalled his last visit to Odisha when he represented India against Sri Lanka at Barabati Stadium.
Raina praised the Odisha government’s initiative and said the tournament would encourage young players to pursue their passion for cricket.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by ruling party Chief Whip Saroj Kumar Pradhan, Barabati-Kataka MLA Sofia Firdous, Kataka Sadar MLA Prakash Chandra Sethi, Kataka-Choudwar MLA Souvic Biswal, Angul MLA and OCA Apex Council member Pratap Chandra Pradhan and Tirtol MLA Ramakanta Bhoi.
Odisha Football Association Secretary and Odisha Athletic Association President Asirbad Behera, former cricketer Debashish Mohanty, Odisha Cricket Association President Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, Vice-President Jagamohan Pattnaik and Secretary Sanjay Behera were also present.
Other OCA members, coaches, players and distinguished guests attended the inaugural ceremony.
