Grand inauguration of 22nd National Cricket Tournament for the blind

New Delhi, December 17, 2015: Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled' long standing patronage for cricket is well known since its inception. Their efforts were formalized by establishing the Cricket Association for the Blind (CABI) in the year 2012. CABI was conceived with the aim to use competitive cricket to teach the blind to look at life positively, gain in confidence and strive to be winners rather than dependents; and to use the game as a medium to transmit the message of ability and talent to the society. The Indian cricket team for the blind made the country proud by winning both T20 World Cup in 2012 and 4th One Day International World Cup on 2014. They are ready to continue lifting the World Cup trophy yet again in 2016.

After stupendous success in T20 and World Cup for the blinds, CABI in the presence of Chief Guest Shri Oscar Fernandes, Former Minister, MP & General Secretary of AICC, Hon'ble guests Shri Lov Verma, IAS,Secretary to Govt. of India, Dept. of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilties and Shri Ananth Kumar, Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers today inaugurated the 22nd National Cricket Tournament for blind at 9:00 AM atCentral Civil Services Cultural & Sports Ground, Vinay Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. The tournament will be played in Delhi and Gurgaon from December 17- 21, 2015.

22nd National Cricket tournament follows the league format, followed by the semi finals and the final. Eight teams from all the four zones will play total of 15 matches in Central Civil Services Cultural & Sports Ground, Vinay Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi and Devi Lal Stadium, Gurgaon. The eight participating teams are Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (North Zone), Odisha and West Bengal (East Zone), Gujarat and Rajasthan (West Zone) and Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka (South Zone). All the league matches will be played between 17^th and 19^th December, the semi- finals on December 20th, 2015 while the final match will be contested on 21^st December from 11 AM onwards. The outcome of the National Tournament would be formation of a 17member Indian team which will be selected to play T20 Asia from January 16- 24, 2016 in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi.

We invite you all to come together for the National Cricket Tournament for the Blind encouraging players from 8 states to find a place in the coveted National team. We salute the sporting spirit in every player who have come together to put

an entertaining contest and represent their country in world class cricket for the Blind. Let’s come together to boost their confidence and learn the winning attitude from them.  

Match Schedules

Ground A - Civil Services ground, Chanakyapuri, Vinay Marg, near Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi

Ground B - Tau Devilal Stadium Gurgaon.

17th to 19th December:  2 matches at each ground

                         1st match from 9 AM to 12.30 PM 

                         2nd match from 1 PM to 4.30 PM.

20^th December:  1^st Semi Final - Ground A - 11.00 am to 2.30 pm.

20^th December:  2^nd Semi Final - Ground B, 11.00 am to 2.30 pm.

21^st  December:  Finals - Civil Services ground, Chanakyapuri, Vinay Marg, Near Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi from 10 am to 1.30 pm, followed by prize distribution.

Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled

Samarthanam works to empower the visually impaired, disabled and underprivileged and help them to keep in pace with the rest of the society by providing quality education, accommodation, nutritious food, vocational training, placement based rehabilitation and achieve personal independence. However, the long term vision of Samarthanam is to work towards an inclusive society free from discrimination where persons with disabilities become contributing members, living with dignity and respect.

About Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI):

The Cricket Association for the Blind (CABI) is the apex body that organizes and conducts cricket for the blind across India. CABI was handed over the responsibility of promoting and organizing cricket for the blind by the previous body Association for Cricket for the Blind in India – ACBI, in 2010. It is a registered Non Profit Organization, affiliated to the World Blind Cricket (WBC).

For further information, please contact:

Rachna Kathuria / Rashmi Chowdhury

M: 9999973697 / 8285079862

Email id: rachnakathuria@gmail.com / rashmi.chowdhury07@gmail.com