Deaf Cricket Championship to start from Sept 25

Bhubaneswar: -Indian Deaf Cricket Association's (IDCA) T-20 National Cricket Championship for Deaf will start here from September 25, the association said. A total of 19 teams will take part in this seven-day-long championship.

Teams are divided into four groups and will play a total of 42 matches before making it to the final. Hosted by Odisha Deaf Cricket Association, the matches will be played on four different grounds in Bhubaneswar.

The final match will be played on October 1, at East Coast Railway Sports Association Stadium, in Bhubaneswar. ''In the recent past, deaf cricket has gained immense recognition in the country. We hope that awareness continues to grow with more specially-abled young people taking up sports as a career option. Sports is not only about physical prowess and skill, it is also a powerful medium for self-expression,'' said IDCA president Sumit Jain.

IDCA CEO Roma Balwani said, ''We are delighted to be in Bhubaneswar with a huge presence of 19 teams for the first time, to play 43 matches across four grounds. Our hearing-impaired teams are excited to be here to compete with each other in the true spirit of sport. These athletes are looking for due recognition and are pleased to see the awareness IDCA has achieved for deaf cricket in India''.

The T-20 champions will receive a prize of Rs 1,00,000, while the runner-up will get Rs 50,000. The best individual sportsmen in categories such as batting, bowling, fielding, super sixes and others will each receive a sum of Rs 5,000. The players of the match will be awarded Rs 2,100.