We are extremely excited to announce that Women’s National Team player Ahilya Chandel is in India this week to join the Delhi Capitals WPL camp as net bowler. She will continue to train with the squad during the opening week of the upcoming WPL season.

Chandel will fly into Delhi before travelling to Pune for the Capitals pre-tournament training camp, which starts on the 2nd February, in the lead up to the third edition of the Women’s Premier League.

Head of Cricket Operations at the JCA Alan Curr said: “We are excited about working with an iconic cricketing brand like the Capitals. They are synonymous with success on and off the field and we hope our players and staff can learn from their best practices.”

Chandel, who has an Indian father and Japanese mother but has spent most of her cricket-playing years in Australia said: “It will be amazing to join up with the squad and see how they go about their work. I can’t wait to bring back what I learn to the group in Japan and help our team achieve more success in the future.”

Matches in the tournament will begin on 14th February with the finals taking place from 13th-15th March. The Capitals have been runners up in each of the last two seasons and will be aiming to go one better this time.

Good luck Ahilya!

Women’s National Team Partner

• Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd.

Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (MKI) specialized in providing services and products related to ICT (information and communication technology). Partnering with various global ICT vendors and supporting more than 2,500 companies, MKI offers best-in-class solutions to customers.

Website: https://www.mki.co.jp/english/

JCA Official Social Media

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• X: https://twitter.com/CricketJapan

The JCA would like to thank Women’s and National Academy Head Coach Ardene Ruhode for his service to cricket in Japan as he departs at the end of this month.

Deano has played a key role in taking the teams forward with highlights being the Under 19s 2023 where they qualified for the Asia Cup as well as finishing second behind New Zealand in the World Cup Regional Qualifiers.

The Women’s Japan National team has also shown excellent progress with 2024 being a productive year that yielded ten wins and four defeats, with all the losses coming against teams ranked in the top 25.

A quarter-final place at the ACC Premier Cup showed good signs early in the year before a 5-0 win over Singapore and Runners Up at the Women’s East Asia Cup ended the year on a positive note. 

He has also been involved in the formation of the Women’s Japan Premier League while coaching junior teams as well. 

We wish Deano all the best for the future. 

The Women’s East Asia Pacific Team were acknowledged for their performances at the Australian Country Cricket Championships with the “Spirit of Cricket” Award. 

The team, which had 15 players from six different nations across the region, only came together for the tournament and finished fifth in the overall placings, winning two of their last three matches. 

For Japan, Ahilya Chandel performed well with the ball while HInase Goto and Seika Sumi were both able to learn by playing overseas for the first time. 

The JCA would like to thank the ACCC and International Cricket Council for arranging this opportunity. 

We are excited to announce that the Japan Cricket Association will be running junior tournaments for girls aged Under 16 and Under 19 this season. 

The tournaments will run during the month of May and are open to players living both inside and outside of Japan.

The teams will be created by the JCA through player registrations with a goal of four teams participating in the Under 16 event and six teams in the Under 19 event. 

These two tournaments will also act as trials for the formation of a female category in the Japan National Academy. 

The Japan National Academy (Female), which will not have an age limit, will also be where the Women’s U19 Japan National Team will be selected from. It is hoped the Women’s U19 team will play its first matches in 2026. 

To register your interest in participating in either event please complete the below form no later than Friday 28th March.

https://forms.gle/JryRRQmg7rprauUGA 

Key Information:

Dates:

Under 16 Japan Cricket League (Female): Saturday 17th – Monday 19th May*

Under 19 Japan Cricket League (Female): Thursday 22nd – Sunday 24th May*

Venue: Sano International Cricket Ground

Cost: Free

Clothing: Provided 

Drinks/Food: Bring your own

*The events will take place on weekdays. Since this is part of a national trial the JCA can provide letters to assist with time away from school/university studies. 

One of the Japan Crickets longest serving volunteers was honoured by the International Cricket Council at the 2024 AGM for his outstanding contribution to the game. 

Mumtaz Alam was given the Long Service Award “In recognition of your outstanding dedication and commitment to the development and growth of cricket”, an award that is only given to those who have been involved in cricket in one country for more than twenty years. 

While JCA CEO Naoki Miyaji collected the award on his behalf at the AGM in Sri Lanka, Mr Alam was able to collect it from his former teammate in person at the 2024 Annual Awards ceremony. 

Since around 1990, Alam has made significant contributions to the development of cricket in Japan both on and off the field.

As a player, he played for the Japanese national team, scoring a career-best 93 runs in 2004 to help the Japanese men’s national team win their first international match in the 50-over format.

He also made a great contribution to club cricket, such as the formation of the Millennium Cricket Club (currently Sano Cricket Club), the development of the club, and players of the next generation.

In recent years, as a member of the JCA Umpire Panel, he umpires many matches every year, and was recognised as one of two of the JCL Umpires of the Year at the 2024 JCA Awards.

Mr. Alam, who is originally from Pakistan, has also played a leading role in building a bridge between the Pakistani community in Japan, such as forming the Pakistan Embassy XI in the Embassy Cup and planning and managing cricket events for the Pakistani community.

Mr. Alam, with the support of the Pakistan Embassy, played a key role in hosting a commemorative match on the grounds of Tanuma High School in 2012, the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan. This commemorative match highlighted the potential Cricket has to promote Sano City and was critical in redeveloping Tanuma High School, which was closed the following year, into the current Sano City International Cricket Ground.

The JCA are delighted to see Mumtaz honoured in this way and would like to give our own thanks for his commitment. We look forward to the next twenty years! 

The JCA are pleased to announce that Vinay Iyer has been promoted to a new role as Head Coach of the Women’s Japan National Squad. 

Vinay succeeds Ardene Ruhode after three years in the role and will start in the position from January. 

As a two-time Player of the Year, Vinay his coaching journey is an excellent example for anyone else wishing to develop their skills and contribute in some capacity to Japan Cricket. 

Having taken a team to the final of the Japan Futures League every year, winning it in 2023 and 2024, Vinay was sent to Vanuatu to complete the ICC Level Two coaching course alongside Reo Sakurano. 

He took up the role with the National Academy in late 2023 and has worked with them throughout 2024.

He has acted as an Assistant Coach to both the Men’s Under 19 team at the 2023 Asia Cup, as well as the Women’s Team in the recent home series against Singapore and the following East Asia Cup in Korea. 

The Women’s Japan National Team will have an ICC World Cup Regional Qualifier to work towards in late 2025 while other international opportunities will be announced in due course. 

Women’s National Team Partner

• Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd.

Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (MKI) specialized in providing services and products related to ICT (information and communication technology). Partnering with various global ICT vendors and supporting more than 2,500 companies, MKI offers best-in-class solutions to customers.

Website: https://www.mki.co.jp/english/

JCA Official Social Media

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• X: https://twitter.com/CricketJapan

The 2024 Japan Cricket Association annual awards event was held at the MKI Advanced Technology Center in Tokyo on Saturday December 7th. The list of award winners for the 2024 season is below.

Japan Cricket Association Player of the Year (Men)

Winner: Sabaorish Ravichandran

Runner Up: Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming

Third Place: Makoto Taniyama

Japan Cricket Association Player of the Year (Women)

Winner: Mai Yanagida

Runner Up: Shimako Kato

Third Place: Erika Oda

Japan Premier League

Champions: East Kanto Sunrisers

MVP: Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (Sunrisers), 207 runs

Best Bowler: Ibrahim Takahashi (Sunrisers), 9 wickets @ 9.2

Best Batter: Josh Brown (Chargers), 233 runs @ 58.3

Women’s Japan Premier League

Champions: Western Eagles

MVP: Rachel Andrew (Western Eagles), 83 runs & 4 wickets

Best Bowler: Sathya Sandeepani (Western Eagles), 5 wickets @ 9.6

Best Batter: Erika Oda (Western Eagles), 71 runs @ 23.7

Japan Cricket League – Division 1

Champions: Tokyo Falcons CC

MVP: Nipun Haggalla (KKR), 336 runs & 17 wickets

Best Bowler: Kuldeep Bisht (Falcons), 19 wickets @ 12.9

Best Batter: Abhishek Anand (Falcons), 564 runs @ 56.4

Japan Cricket League – Division 2

Champions: Tigers CC

MVP: Jijo George (Tigers), 273 runs & 14 wickets

Best Bowler: Abduallah Sajid (Titans), 20 wickets @ 6.5

Best Batter: Md Alamgir (Rising Stars), 304 runs @ 50.7

Japan Cricket League – Division 3

Champions: Tokyo Sereknights

MVP: Nilesh Shahane (Tokyo Falcons), 140 runs & 22 wickets

Best Bowler: Shehan Madusanka (Sereknights), 18 wickets @ 5.9

Best Batter: Gurdeep Dua (Men In Blue), 221 runs @ 36.8

Japan Cricket League – Division 4

Champions: Tokyo Titans CC

MVP: Sathish Govindarajan (MIB), 153 runs & 7 wickets

Best Bowler: Rohit Trehan (MIB), 13 wickets @ 8.3

Best Batter: Karan Khurana (Titans), 251 runs @ 35.9

Japan Cricket League – T20

Champions: Tigers CC

MVP: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers) 398 runs & 12 wickets

Best Bowler: Makoto Taniyama (Sano) 9 wickets @ 4.8

Best Batter: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers) 398 runs @ 132.7

Japan Cricket League – T10

Champions: Tigers CC

MVP: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers), 216 runs & 4 wickets

Best Bowler: Zohail Khan (Falcons), 7 wickets @ 8.4

Best Batter: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers), 216 runs @ 108.0

Japan Cricket League – Umpires of the Year

Chris Thurgate & Mumtaz Alam

Japan 40 Over Community Cup

Champions: Nagoya Bengal Tigers CC

MVP: Shakib Hasan (NBT), 315 runs

Women’s Japan Cricket League

Champions: Sendai University CC

MVP: Seika Sumi (Sendai University), 200 runs & 4wickets

Best Bowler: Meg Ogawa (Wyverns), 10 wickets @ 6.25

Best Batter: Ishu Karunarathna (Women In Blue), 206 runs @ 206.0

Japan Cup National Finals

Champions: Tsukuba CC

MVP: Hashan Muditha (Serendib Leos), 125 runs & 6 wickets

Best Bowler: Shehan Madusanka (Serendib Leos), 11 wickets @ 8.1

Best Batter: Makoto Taniyama (Sano), 145 runs @ 72.5

Japan Cup T20 Regional Qualifiers

North Kanto Division 1 Champions: Sano CC. MVP: Kawshan Kulasooriya (Sano).

North Kanto Division 2 Champions: Sano Bears. MVP: Sangeeth Eranga (Sano Bears).

East Kanto Division 1 Champions: Tsukuba CC. MVP: Abhishek Anand (Falcons).

East Kanto Division 2 Champions: Tsukuba Leopards. MVP: Md Alamgir (Rising Stars Warriors).

South Kanto Division 1 Champions: Tigers CC. MVP: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers).

South Kanto Division 2 Champions: Tokyo Wombats CC. MVP: Kohei Kubota (Keio Knights).

West Kanto Division 1 Champions: Serendib Leos. MVP: Wataru Miyauchi (Wyverns).

West Kanto Division 2 Champions: Tokyo Phoenix. MVP: Sunil Jose (Fussa Giants).

Kansai Division 1 Champions: Royal Osaka Tigers CC. MVP: Yamal Siriwardena (Kyoto United).

Kansai Division 2 Champions: Doshisha Dragons. MVP: Ryuichi Ashida (Doshisha Dragons).

Tokai Champions: Kawasaki Knight Riders CC. MVP: Mohammad Sohag (NBT).

Japan University League Finals -Champion’s Wicket-

Mens Champions: Chuo University

Womens Champions: Waseda University

Kanto University League (Men)

Champions: Chuo University

MVP: Jisei Ando (Chuo), 77 runs & 9 wickets

Best Bowler: Jisei Ando (Chuo), 9 wickets @ 6.3

Best Batter: Kazushi Matsukawa (Waseda), 240 runs @ 40.0

Kanto University League (Women)

Champions: Waseda University

MVP: Meg Ogawa (Waseda), 122 runs & 7 wickets

Best Bowler: Nozomi Uchida (Waseda), 9 wickets @ 10.5

Best Batter: Yumi Sakashita (Waseda), 81 runs @ 20.3

Under 19 Japan Cricket League

Champions: Tokyo Falcons CC

MVP: Bikash Khadka (Tokyo Titans), 402 runs & 10 wickets

Best Bowler: Hassan Muhammad (Braves), 19 wickets @ 8.6

Best Batter: Timothy Moore (Lions), 413 runs @ 82.6

Under 15 Japan Cricket League

Champions: Men In Blue Tokyo CC

MVP: Jaswant Kaswan (Alpha Quashers), 254 runs & 15 wickets

Best Bowler: Ved Keswani (Tokyo Falcons), 19 wickets @ 5.0

Best Batter: Aaryan Waduge (KKR), 240 runs @ 80.0

ICC “Long Service Award”

Mumtaz Alam

Thank you to our Partners:

Platinum Partner

Men and Women’s National Team Partner

National Team Supplier

Gold Partner

Partner

Tea Partner

 

Beer Partner

Press Release Partner

Ruby Partner

Railway Area Partner

Pearl Partner

Regional Revitalisation Partner

Fitness Partner

Supporter Club

City of Cricket Akishima Supporter Club

City of Cricket Sano Supporter Club

Three members of the Women’s Japan National squad have accepted an invitation through Titans Cricket to participate in a three-team event in South Africa next month. 

Mai Yanagida, Haruna Iwasaki and Nonoha Yasumoto will all participate in the “Global Cricket Tournament” which also features international players in each team alongside the South African players.

In an expansion from the 2024 event, the players will also join an “International XI” to play against the Fidelity Titans Ladies team in three matches prior to the GCT. 

The players will arrive in Pretoria on 10th January and stay through to the 21st, gaining valuable experience in a professional environment as they prepare for the new season in Japan. 

Details of where matches can be watched and followed online will be shared in due course.

Good luck to the players and thank you to Titans Cricket and Cricket South Africa for this exciting initiative. 

Women’s National Team Partner

• Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd.

Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (MKI) specialized in providing services and products related to ICT (information and communication technology). Partnering with various global ICT vendors and supporting more than 2,500 companies, MKI offers best-in-class solutions to customers.

Website: https://www.mki.co.jp/english/

JCA Official Social Media

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cricketjapan
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/japan_cricket
• X: https://twitter.com/CricketJapan