MUMBAI, Nov. 8 -- The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Friday wrote a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis requesting to allot land within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for setting up a Residential Women's Cricket Academy, while a ceremony was held at his residence for felicitating Maharashtra's women cricketers who were part of India's World Cup-winning team. The proposed academy aims to provide women players with integrated facilities for training, recovery, and education under one roof. Currently, players travel long distances across the city and suburbs for practice sessions, often facing fatigue and logistical hurdles, MCA president Ajinkya Naik in the letter. "The residential setup will help address these issues by offering turf grounds, indoor practice areas, residential accommodation, a gym, physiotherapy and sports medicine support, and classrooms for academic and life-skill development," the letter said. He added that the MCA is ready to develop and manage the facility on a not-for-profit basis. Meanwhile, at a felicitation ceremony held at the CM's official residence, Varsha, Fadnavis honoured vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, and head coach Amol Muzumdar for their historic World Cup triumph. On Sunday, Team India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the Women's World Cup final held in Navi Mumbai to clinch its maiden global title. Each player from Maharashtra received Rs.2.25 crore, Muzumdar was awarded Rs.22.5 lakh, and members of the support staff received Rs.11 lakh each along with mementoes. Among those felicitated were bowling coach Avishkar Salvi, Padma Shri Diana Edulji, analyst Aniruddha Deshpande, logistics coordinator Aparna Gambhirrao, operations manager Maroof Fazandar, Mihir Upadhyay, Purva Kate, and Mamta Shirsulla. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who was present, compared the victory to India's iconic 1983 men's World Cup win, saying, "These women have done for their generation what Kapil Dev's team did four decades ago." Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana thanked the state for its continued support. "Maharashtra has always supported us. In 2017 too, we were felicitated when we were runners-up. Many of our support staff members belong to this state. This victory wouldn't have been possible without them," she said....