Bhubaneswar: Shri Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, CMD, MGM Group, Odisha, felicitated four remarkable women cricketers from Odisha who were part of the Indian women’s blind cricket team. This team created history by winning the first-ever Women’s T20 Blind World Cup Cricket.
The Indian women’s blind cricket team achieved this historic victory by defeating Nepal by seven wickets in the final held in Colombo. The four players from Odisha are Phula Saren from Balasore district, and Parvati Marndi, Jamuna Rani Tudu, and Basanti Hansda, all from Mayurbhanj district.
They met the ace philanthropist and an avid promoter of sports Shri Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, Chairman & Managing Director, MGM Group, Odisha, at the MGM Corporate Office in Bhubaneswar.
Shri Mohanty congratulated them for their outstanding achievement and commended their perseverance, discipline, and inspiring performance, noting their success brought immense pride to Odisha and the entire nation.
As a gesture of appreciation, MGM Group, Odisha, honored each of the four players with a cash award of ₹25,000, celebrating their contribution to India’s historic triumph.
MGM Group, Odisha, continues to support and promote excellence in sports as part of its commitment to empowering communities and encouraging exemplary achievements across diverse fields.
Their support includes:
MGM School of Sports: They have established the MGM School of Sports, a high-performance Centre of Excellence for Cricket near Cuttack. This residential academy provides state-of-the-art facilities and top-tier coaching, including a partnership with Coaching Beyond (founded by former Indian cricket team coaches Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, and R Sridhar), to nurture cricketing talent in both male and female categories from the grassroots level.
Support for Differently-Abled Sports: MGM Group has notably sponsored the Odisha Deaf Cricket Association (ODFA), providing support like sports kits and jerseys to deaf cricketers, demonstrating a commitment to inclusive sports development.
Leadership in Cricket Administration: Shri Pankaj Lochan Mohanty is a prominent figure in cricket and is the President of the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA), where he is involved in the modernization of key infrastructure like the Barabati Stadium.
Holistic Sports Infrastructure: The MGM Group’s commitment extends to building a holistic sports culture in Odisha by investing in Sports Infrastructure and technical education.