Royals to 'Bat for the Girl Child'

Rajasthan Royals, the title holders of the very first edition of Indian Premier League, have announced today their association with two NGO’s, Educate Girls and Aangan for the cause of development of the girl child at the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai.

This CSR campaign has been inspired from Government of India’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhai’ initiative. Rajasthan Royals have named their campaign ‘Bat for the Girl Child’.  They have pledged to give 2% of the annual profits for the welfare of the girl child for the current financial year. The franchise has tied-up with 2 NGOs - Educate Girls and Aangan. The British Asian Trust (BAT), part of HRH Prince of Wales Charities, will work as the Implementation Partner with the Rajasthan Royals. They Royals will be looking to make a difference by using their digital assets for which they’ve also made a small video. RR have already tweeted their player pictures with Bat for the Girl Child Play cards on the Rajasthan Royal’s twitter handle.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rahul Dravid, Coach/mentor of Rajasthan Royals said, “It’s truly a fantastic and a long lasting partnership that we’re looking at for the cause of educating the girl child.We’re really hoping to make it work.” He also spoke about the importance of cricketers being a part of such a campaign which he truly believes in. He further added that this campaign is aimed at creating awareness and eradicating the evils of girl trafficking over the course of years among thecricket lovers and the general public.

Ranjit Barthakur, Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt. Ltd, said “The Rajasthan Royals campaign ‘Bat for the girl Child’ is aimed at cricket lovers but also those of us who can make a difference. We believe that by working with Aangan and Educate Girls, under the aegis of the government, we can achieve so much more to change the lives of girl children in Rajasthan and India. With the brand and might of Rajasthan royals behind it, the team is hoping to gain momentum and generate more support from

When Adgully spoke to Ms. Suparna Gupta, Founder, Aangan, she said, “The issues of woman are of prime importance for us and for the nation and we believe we can make a difference. We hope the brand of Rajasthan Royals will help us bring some change on the issues of child trafficking and girl education.” On being asked about the other opportunities that they’re looking at with their association with Rajasthan Royals, she said, “Other than what we’re doing at the next match with KKR, we’re hoping to take some of the players or the mentor, Rahul Dravid to one of our centres to spend some time with our kids. Also, there are a lot of other things that we’re looking to do with our association with both BAT and Rajasthan Royals.”

This is what the admen had to say about this initiative

“Cricket is a powerful force in India and it has tremendous potential to be used as a force for good. It is wonderful to see the British Asian Trust and the Rajasthan Royals support the ‘Bat for Girl Child’ initiative. This is something very close to my heart and it is great to see supportive forces behind it. I will contribute to every which way for promoting this cause.” Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & Creative Director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather

“We are delighted to be associated with the British Asian Trust and Rajasthan Royals as they devote their platforms and energies to team up with the girl child. Cricket is great social glue. It binds the entire nation. While the government has taken various effective steps to tackle these challenges,including the successful ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign, it is threatening to see how this initiative will further bolster the cause. We wish Rajasthan Royals a successful innings in this venture.” Swapan Seth, CEO, EQUUS