As the Women’s Premier League, WPL continues to redefine the landscape of women’s sport in India, franchises are increasingly recognizing their power beyond performance and results.
On January 17, UP Warriorz will take that responsibility forward by dedicating their WPL fixture against Mumbai Indians to advocating free, flexible, and lifelong education for girls, in partnership with grassroots organization Educate Girls.
The initiative is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: every girl deserves her innings not just on the cricket field, but in life. By aligning one of the league’s most high-profile matches with a social cause, UP Warriorz are using sport as a platform to spark conversation, shift mindsets and push advocacy into the mainstream.
At the center of the campaign is the concept of open schooling, an alternative education pathway that allows learners to complete their Class 10 and 12 qualifications without attending school on a daily basis. For many girls across India, formal education is interrupted by economic pressures, early marriage, caregiving responsibilities, or social barriers. Open schooling offers a second chance flexible, credible, and often free enabling learning to continue alongside life’s realities.
UP Warriorz’ long-term partnership with Educate Girls has focused on amplifying this model and challenging the idea that education follows a single, linear path. Educate Girls currently works across 12 states, strengthening access to education in underserved communities, and has set an ambitious 10×10 goal: reaching 10 million learners over the next decade. Central to that mission is the belief that education should be lifelong, adaptable, and inclusive.
By leveraging the reach of the WPL across television, digital platforms, and packed stadiums, the Warriorz aim to take the conversation beyond awareness. Match-day integrations, broadcast messaging, and fan engagement activities are designed to bring open schooling into public discourse, positioning it not as an exception but as a valid and empowering choice.
“At UP Warriorz, we believe sport has the power to shape conversations that extend far beyond the game,” said Jinisha Sharma, Director at Capri Sports. “This special match reflects our belief that education should adapt to life, not the other way around. Through our partnership with Educate Girls, we hope to normalize second chances in education and remind every girl that her learning journey does not have to end because life took a different turn.”
A striking visual symbol of this message will be seen on the field itself. For the January 17 fixture, the UP Warriorz will wear a limited-edition jersey created exclusively for the occasion. Designed in collaboration with artist Harun Robert, popularly known as Rob, the jersey features excerpts from handwritten letters penned by girls associated with Educate Girls. These letters, addressed to their future selves, speak of dreams, ambition, and resilience.
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Rather than being a standard kit, the jersey becomes a canvas of aspiration, carrying the voices of girls onto one of cricket’s biggest stages. It is a deliberate reminder that behind conversations about access and policy lie real stories, real journeys, and real futures waiting to be shaped.
“When girls see their dreams reflected on a platform as powerful as the WPL, it sends a powerful message that their voices and aspirations matter,” said Safeena Husain, founder and board member of Educate Girls. “This partnership with UP Warriorz helps reframe education as a lifelong promise, not a one-time event. With flexible, accessible, second-chance programs, learning can begin, pause, and restart at any stage of a girl’s life.”
The initiative also reflects a broader shift in women’s sport, where franchises are increasingly embracing purpose-led storytelling rather than limiting their identity to wins and losses. In the context of the WPL a league watched closely by young girls across the country such campaigns carry added significance. Representation on the field, combined with advocacy off it, creates a powerful feedback loop that can influence aspiration and action.
For UP Warriorz, the January 17 match is not positioned as a one-off gesture but as part of a continuing commitment to social impact through sport. As women’s cricket grows in scale, visibility, and commercial strength, the franchise believes its responsibility must grow alongside it.
By dedicating a marquee WPL fixture to girls’ education, the Warriorz are making a clear statement: progress in women’s sport is incomplete unless it also contributes to progress beyond the boundary. In doing so, they are reminding audiences that empowerment, like education, is not confined to a single moment it is a journey that deserves space, support, and second chances.
