India to host 2nd edition of Street Child Cricket World Cup in September 2023

In the latest development, India will host the upcoming edition of the Street Child Cricket World Cup (SCCWC 2023) in the month of September next year.

The mixed-gender 22-team tournament, which will be staged by Save the Children, India and Street Child United, will play host to street child cricketers from as many as 16 countries. 

This will be the second time that such a tournament will be staged. The inaugural edition was held in England back in 2019, where Team India South defeated the hosts in a closely-contested final.

Come 2023, as many as eight sides, including defending champions Team India South, will represent different departments of the country. They will lock horns with their street counterparts from countries which include- Uganda, South Africa, Nepal, Mexico, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, England, Hungary, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Rwanda, Burundi and Zimbabwe.

Speaking on occasion, John Wroe, the CEO of Street Child United, said that the tournament would catalyze over a million young, homeless people to receive an identity on the global stage.

He further added that the tournament would showcase how cricket is helping street children find their voice to shrug off the negative perception of them, besides asserting that every child deserves to get all the basic amenities that we take for granted.

"The SCCWC will be a catalyst for one million young people globally receiving identity for the very first time. This is our legacy challenge for the second SCCWC. This is a unique event that can show the world how cricket is helping give street children a voice to challenge the negative perceptions they face. 

We are incredibly excited to be working alongside Save the Children India to deliver the SCCWC. It is a universal call for governments to ensure that street children everywhere are better protected and granted access to basic services that so many of us take for granted." he said.

Meanwhile, Sudarshan Suchi, the CEO of 'Save the Children, India', said, "Every child deserves an identity. Thus, we are committed to making the 'Invisibles' visible and bringing them into the mainstream. 

The idea of sports, and in that cricket becoming the pivot, is an opportunity we are excited about as we host the Street Child Cricket World Cup here in India and show the world what a powerful vehicle sport in general and cricket, in particular, can be in helping drive the change we want to create for these young people."

The SCCWC is an initiative that is aimed at providing a platform for street children to raise their voice in their demand for the right to assess to education, the right to identity, the right to access to basic amenities including health care, the right to be protected against violence, and the other fundamental rights that millions of homeless children are deprived of.

The 2nd edition will take place in September 2023.