Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Cricket is not just a game but an emotion for Indians. Leveraging upon this fact, CII–Young Indians (Yi)–has set off on a glorious journey to battle the pressing issue of child sexual abuse in India. Yesterday, the organisation announced an exciting collaboration with the most prestigious and successful IPL team, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), for its upcoming Play for Cause Game, Yi Masoom Cup 2023. The partnership, announced at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) in Chepauk, will see an exhibition league match between the Yi National Team and CSK to raise awareness about child abuse–physical and digital–and to serve to educate the public about the Masoom vertical of Yi and its commitment to protecting children from the damaging effects of sexual and other forms of abuse.
The event witnessed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kasi Viswanathan, signing the partnership with CII-Young Indians (Yi). Viswanathan has been an integral part of team management ever since the inception of the league and the franchise in 2008. The partnership ceremony was also graced by the gracious presence of Dr. P. Ashok Sigamani, President, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). There was a strong turnout of media professionals, sports enthusiasts, and advocates for child protection at the event. During the press meet, key representatives from the Young Indians and Chennai Super Kings shared insights into the Masoom Cup initiative, its objectives, the impact it aims to create, and their commitment to working together for a safer future for children.
This significant partnership comes in the wake of rising physical and digital child abuse cases. Chennai Super Kings, associating itself with Yi Masoom Vertical and its cause, will surely open a colossal platform to eradicate the social taboo attached to child sexual abuse among the team’s fans in India and abroad. The team-up looks forward to enormous media hype and massive viewership, attracting a diverse audience from all walks of life and garnering support for this vital cause for children.
Sharing his immense excitement about the partnership, Dilip Krishna, Yi National Chairman, says, “An abused child is a lost citizen to our nation; securing our children is our primary responsibility to build a strong future. This is the grandest platform that the Masoom initiative can gain, and it gives me great pride to be taking the right step towards spreading awareness about child abuse, both physical and digital, with all stakeholders and what better way to engage all stakeholders for the cause than sports, especially cricket”
The Yi Masoom Cup, recently inaugurated by the star cricketer Bhubaneshwar Kumar, is named after Young Indians’s Project Masoom. It aims to get more than 55 Yi chapter cricket teams across India to play and amplify the vertical across all cultures, languages, and social biases to secure children’s futures.
Chennai Super Kings is one of the most successful franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Beyond cricket, CSK actively engages in community initiatives and partnerships to support various social causes.
The Yi Masoom Project aims to uproot child abuse, both physical and digital, from society. It believes that an abused child is a lost citizen of the nation, and it is the primary responsibility of adults to build a solid and secure future for every child. Its principles are etched along the lines that “every child matters in every corner of the country”. The project recently achieved the Guinness Book of World Records on November 14, 2022.
Young Indians (Yi) by CII, Confederation of Indian Industries, is an organisation of young professionals and entrepreneurs based in India between the ages of 21 and 45 who have come together with the desire to collaborate, co-create, lead, and influence India’s future. Yi has 6500 Youth Leaders as members across 65 cities and works with over 14 lac students (which includes 1.5 lac YUVA College students and 13 lac + schoolchildren) in 261 rural communities nationwide. Yi aspires to cultivate leadership skills in young people, strengthen the ecosystem for young entrepreneurs, and bring about reforms driven by youth for the greater good of the country. It allows members to connect, share ideas, and collaborate on business ventures.