Beas XI - Winners of the hearing impaired category, Usha Divyang Cricket League 2022 in Chandigarh |
Ludhiana, May 05, 2022 (News Team): The 7th Usha Divyang Cricket League, sponsored by Usha International in association with All India Cricket Association for the Deaf (AICAD) and Deaf Cricket Federation of Punjab, saw spirited on-ground action in the finals played today. Sanjay Tandon, President, UT Cricket Association, Chandigarh, and Sarpreet Singh Gill, IAS, Secretary Sports Department, UT Chandigarh, graced the closing ceremony as the guests of honour, and felicitated the winners.
In the wheelchair category finals played today, Haryana Warriors won the toss and chose to bat against Punjab Lions. Haryana Warriors played a fabulous innings of 202 runs in 20 overs and won by 34 runs. In the deaf category, the match was played between Beas XI and Jhelum XI, where Jhelum XI decided to field on winning the toss. Beas XIwent on to win by 44 runs.
Man of the Match in Wheelchair category was Sandeep Kundu from Haryana Warriors and in Hearing Impaired category was Harsimran from Beas XI.
The 7th Usha Divyang Cricket League 2022 was a 3-day tournament, played from 2nd to 4th May 2022. In this edition, the league witnessed participation from 150 specially-abled cricketers playing across two categories: hearing impaired in T-20 format and wheelchair categories in a T-10 format.
The tournament was also supported by Union Territory Cricket Association (UTCA), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), as well as Sports Department of Chandigarh. The winners and runner-up teams were felicitated with cash prizes and trophies. Whereas, the Player of the Tournament was awarded a motorbike.
Addressing the audience at the closing ceremony, Komal Mehra, Head – Sports Initiatives and Associations at Usha International said, “Sports are about the spirit of sportsmanship and sometimes you win, sometimes you learn what you can do better. Sports like cricket go way beyond winning a trophy as it teaches you life skills that help you win in life, skills like collaboration, teamwork, planning, communication, and integrity. We, at Usha, are happy to support events like Divyang Cricket League asit’s an opportunity for us empower youngsters pursuing their dreams.”
The teams participating in the 7th Usha Divyang Cricket League 2022 comprising Wheelchair Cricketers and Deaf Cricketers included – Satluj XI, Beas XI, Ravi XI, Chenab XI, Jhelum XI, AICAD XI, UP Fighters, Haryana Warriors and Punjab Lions. The final match was live-streamed on YouTube and other social media platforms to be able to reach out to cricket enthusiasts and supporters.