Udaipur: BCCI Secretary Jay Shah unveiled the trophy of the 3rd National Physical Disability T-20 Cricket Championship 2023 in Udaipur on Saturday. The championship is being jointly organized by Narayan Seva Sansthan (NSS), Rajasthan Royals, and the Differently Abled Cricket Council (DCCI) from September 28 to October 8.
The championship will witness participation from 400 differently-abled cricketers representing 24 states across India. The matches will be played across four grounds in Udaipur, featuring a total of 63 thrilling encounters. All matches are set to be played as exciting 20-20 overs contests.
International cricketer Harbhajan Singh has been named as the brand ambassador for the championship. The official poster of the championship was unveiled on Thursday by Narayan Seva’s esteemed officials, including Bhagwan Prasad Gaud, Trustee Devendra Choubisa, Dheeraj Harde, and Rohit Tiwari.
Director and Trustee of Narayan Seva Sansthan, Devendra Choubisa, highlighted that NSS has been at the forefront of promoting para-sports since 2017. The institution has successfully organized two National Para Swimming Championships, one National Blind Cricket Championship, and one National Wheelchair Cricket Championship, which has been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Chandra Bhan Gir, Director of Cricket Talent and Development, DCCI Physical Disabled Wing, expressed his deep appreciation for the contributions of Prashant Agrawal, President of Narayan Seva Sansthan, and Kailash ‘Manav,’ the founder chairman of the organization. He noted that Udaipur has hosted four national competitions for differently-abled individuals to date, and this fifth competition promises to be even more thrilling.
Dheeraj Harde, National Coordinator of DCCI Physical Disabled Wing, informed the press that player selection for this championship was based on their performance in various tournaments held in the past year. The participants in this championship are aged 18 and above, and most of them have disabilities in one hand, or one leg, or are born with congenital physical disabilities. Some athletes have partially developed bodies.
Vishnu Sharma Hitaishi, Public Relations Officer of the Sansthan, highlighted the support received from Rajasthan Royals, Indian Bank, Puma, and BCCI for this championship. The matches will be broadcast directly on FanCode.
More than 100 employees from Narayan Seva Sansthan will be on hand to assist in organizing the championship, ensuring proper food, accommodation, and transportation arrangements for differently-abled athletes who have traveled from different states. All necessary facilities catering to differently-abled individuals have been set up.
For the success of the 11-day Cricket Championship, many committees have been formed by the Sansthan. In this, committees like welcome, security, traffic, cleanliness, food, accommodation, practice, timetable, ground, discipline, medical, water, etc. have been formed.
To ensure international standards, the championship will adhere to specific regulations. The boundary for each match will be 66 meters, and a 22-yard pitch will be used, played with a leather-white ball. Each match will have three umpires present on the field.
Special Feature: Each Team to Have 4 Runners
In Standing Cricket, each team is allowed to designate 4 runners. This provision caters to players who use crutches, or artificial limbs or are physically unable to run. Running between the wickets is crucial in cricket, and as such, before the start of each match, teams provide the list of their chosen runners to the umpire.
Man of the Series to Receive a Scooty
In the spirit of advancing the talents of differently-abled individuals, the committee organizing this championship will select the player with the most outstanding performance as the “Man of the Series.” This recognition will come with an award of a scooter. Additionally, on each ground, the “Man of the Match” will be awarded daily, and both the winning and runner-up teams will also receive prizes.
England World Cup Champion Players to Participate
This championship will feature prominent players, including Virat Kane, captain of the India team, Ravindra Sante from Mumbai, Gurudas Rout from Vidarbha, Tushar Roy from Bengal, Asit Jayaswal from Gujarat, and, Vasim Iqbal and Amir Hissar from Jammu and Kashmir.
These players of Rajasthan will also be in focus
The spotlight will also be on Rajasthan players Jashwant Singh, Surendra Khorwal, and Iqbal. Alongside them, Yogendra Bhadoria from Madhya Pradesh, Victor from Tamil Nadu, Shivshankar from Karnataka, Akhil Reddy from Andhra Pradesh, Pawan Kumar and Amin from Haryana, will be closely observed. It remains to be seen how these players contribute
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.