2026 Bay Area Women’s Open T20 Expands to National Platform

The 2026 Bay Area Women’s Open T20 Cricket Tournament, powered by Bay Blazers, Silicon Valley Strikers, and San Ramon Grizzlies, has taken a significant step forward, marking its third edition and expanding to become a unified platform for women’s cricket in the Bay Area and beyond.

Launched in 2024 by Bay Blazers, the Blazers Bay Area Open aimed to create a national-quality competition for women cricketers. This year, the initiative evolves into the Bay Area Women’s Open, a collaborative effort involving the three Minor League Cricket organizations, the Northern California Cricket Association (NCCA), and the San Francisco Unicorns.

The tournament, which will take place during Labor Day Weekend, is set to feature 161 women cricketers from 15+ U.S. states and Canada, across two divisions: Elite and Premier. The Elite Division will include teams from the East and West Coast, while the Premier Division will consist of teams from the Southwest, Northwest, Central, and Eastern regions.

Biju Nair, Founder & CEO of Bay Blazers, co-chaired the initiative alongside Jayanth Chakraworthy, CEO of Silicon Valley Strikers, and Samir Shah, CEO of San Ramon Grizzlies. They were joined by Prakash Giri, President of NCCA, and David White, CEO of the San Francisco Unicorns, in supporting the new platform.

Nair explained, "From the beginning, our ambition was to create a pathway for women and girls in cricket. After building the Bay Area Open over the first two editions, we felt the most meaningful next step was to bring the Bay Area cricket community together. Having these three Minor League organizations standing together, with the support of NCCA and the San Francisco Unicorns, sends an important message to every young girl playing cricket here: there is a community committed to building a pathway for you."

The 2026 tournament marks a significant expansion, with nine teams competing across two divisions, showcasing the growing national and North American footprint of women’s cricket. Approximately 30 registered players have represented the United States or Canada in international cricket at senior or age-group levels, while more than 80 women have competed within the USA cricket pathway at regional or zonal levels.

"This geographic diversity reinforces the Bay Area Women’s Open as a national platform where players and organizations from across North America can come together for one weekend of high-quality women’s cricket," said Chakraworthy.

Matches will be hosted across notable cricket venues in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Taarika Cricket Ground, Wilson Cricket Field in Santa Clara, Easterbrook Cricket Ground, and Ortega Cricket Field in Sunnyvale.

The collaboration among the three Minor League organizations highlights the importance of working together to build a stronger, more visible, and sustainable pathway for women and young players. Shah emphasized, "The strength of Bay Area cricket comes from its entire ecosystem. When organizations collaborate around a common purpose, we can create opportunities at a scale that would be difficult for any organization to achieve independently."

The Bay Area Women’s Open serves as the first major expression of the broader Bay Area Open Cricket Platform, which aims to connect the entire cricket pathway, from grassroots programs to elite competition. Giri, the NCCA President, added, "Creating a visible and sustainable pathway for girls and women is an important part of the next phase of growth in Northern California. NCCA is pleased to support an initiative that brings organizations together and creates stronger opportunities for players across our cricket community."

The three Bay Area Minor League organizations, along with the support of the NCCA and the San Francisco Unicorns, are collectively working to build a pathway that not only strengthens women’s cricket but also inspires the next generation of cricketers.

Always better together.