Nepal’s two cricketers—Aarati Bidari and Ritu Kanojiya—are set to participate in the second Indira Gandhi Senior Women’s Twenty20 National Championship to be held in Haryana, India on February 24-27.

The cricket duo will play for Mumbai Team as representatives from Nepal’s Rising Cricket For Women (RCW) which was initially invited for the four-day event by the All India Women Twenty20 Cricket Association (AIWTCA).

“The AIWTCA had originally invited our club (RCW) to participate in the tournament but we couldn’t be there due financial crunch. So we discussed within the club and decided to send any two among us,” said President of RCW Aarati Bidari, a regional cricketer from Pokhara. Kanojiya had participated in several international tournaments from Nepal and is currently a Nepal Armed Police Force Club player.

RCW had participated in two tournaments in India last year: Indo-Nepal Tri Series in Ahmedabad and Rajasthan Twenty20 League. “We had good relations with AIWTCA in our last visit and that was the reason why they invited us for the tournament this time. During this tour we are trying to sign a three-year contract with AIWTCA for an exchange programme,” added Bidari.

“At a time when Nepal has seen no activity in women’s cricket, the exchange programme would be a cricket achievement for us because we are trying to organise an Indo-Nepal Cricket Tournament with involvement of some good teams from India and Nepal,” Bidari said.

Established last year, RCW has been involved in several women’s cricketing activities in a short time. While it organised a Women Championship League in Pokhara involving national women cricketers, they also held an Inter-school Girls’ Cricket Tournament in Pharping and training aspiring girls. It is also opening a training centre in Dakshinkali.