The most awaited 4th Edition of IndusInd Bank Nagesh Trophy- National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2021 was inaugurated by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) in association with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled on November 16, 2021 at Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium Gurugram. Matches were held from November 17, 2021 – November 25, 2021 in Delhi and Gurugram.
The inaugural ceremony had the presence of Mr Jasmeet Anand – Senior Zonal Head – North IndusInd Bank, Ms Priyanka Rana – Dealing Assistant (P&A) ONGC, Mr M. L Meena – GM Finance-RECL, Dr Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar–Founder Managing Trustee of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled & President – Cricket Association for the blind in India, Ms Sheethal and Mr Pankaj from ByGod Hospital, Mr E John David- General Secretary –CABI, Mr Shailender Yadav- North Zone Secretary – CABI & Organising Secretary and a host of well-wishers from Cricket Association for the Blind in India.
Ms Priyanka Rana from ONGC and Mr Jasmeet Anand from IndusInd Bank unveiled the Trophies of IndusInd Bank Nagesh Trophy along with other guests. Dr Mahantesh G K welcomed gathering and spoke on the initiatives of CABI. ONGC one of the main sponsors of the Tournament had Ms Priyanka Rana who addressed the gathering and said it was overwhelming to watch the enthusiasm of the players. Mr Jasmeet Anand of IndusInd declared the Tournament open and said he was immensely happy to be a part of an event which will be remembered forever. Mr E John David handed over the Mementoes to all the dignitaries present on the Dias. Mr Dhiraj Sequeira proposed the Vote of thanks.
The tournament was held in 6 different grounds with 67 T20 matches including 4 quarter finals, 2 semi-finals and the final match. A total of 410 Visually Impaired Players and officials from 24 States showcased their skills during the Tournament. 16 Matches of the tournament were broadcast live on CABI YouTube Page and the Final Match was Live on DD Sports.
The teams were divided into 4 groups and each group consisted of 6 teams. 12 league matches were played every day at 6 different grounds. The quarter finals were played in two different grounds and there were totally four quarter final matches which were played among 8 qualifying teams
The final Match was held on November 25, 2021 at Shri Arun Jaitley Stadium – Delhi and Andhra Pradesh won the IndusInd Bank Nagesh Trophy – National T 20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2021, 4th Edition. The Runners up was Karnataka. This is the 3rd consecutive spectacular win for Andhra Pradesh, marked by an uninterrupted sequence of success https://www.bustovizija.net/apdailos-darbu-kainos/ butų remonto ir vidaus apdailos darbų kainos
The Post match presentation and valedictory event had eminent Personalities present. Smt Meenakashi Lekhi – Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs & Culture, Shri Dheeraj Sanghi – Head Branch Banking –IndusInd Bank, Shri Kiran D M – CEO – ONGC Foundation, Mr Alex Ellis – Honourable British High Commissioner to India, Ms Mish Khan- DAP Chair – Australian High Commission, Shri Jasmeet Anand –Senior Zonal Head North –IndusInd Bank, Dr Subhash C Mahajan – Philanthropist, Ms Ridhi Bhatia – Lead CSR IndusInd Bank, Shri Nishant Didar Singh – Associate Director, Grant Thornton and Ms Ayisha –IndusInd Bank. Dr Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar – Founder Managing Trustee of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled & President- Cricket Association for the Blind in India were present.
Shri Kiran D M – CEO ONGC Foundation congratulated the winners and gave away the Awards appreciating the good work that was carried out by CABI. Shri Dheeraj Sanghi – Head Branch Banking –IndusInd Bank had words of praise on the initiative of CABI and announced that IndusInd Bank will continue to support Blind Cricket in India. Smt Meenakashi Lekhi – Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs & Culture announced the upcoming National Cricket Tournament for the Blind Women which will be held in January at Bangalore. The Honourable Minister thanked all the Donors for their support in promoting Blind Cricket. Mr Rajanish Henry proposed the vote of thanks. The Man of the series Awards was given to G Prem Kumar of Andhra Pradeshin B1 Category, D Venkateshwara Rao of Andhra Pradesh in B2 Category and Deepak Malik of Haryana in B3 Category.
Outcome of the Tournament
The Tournament envisions to stand committed in bringing blind cricket to the mainstream cricket as much as possible in terms of uniform, brand recognition, media support and celebrity endorsements with sustainability.
The IndusInd Bank Nagesh Trophy – National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind2021, 4th Edition has brought the visually impaired to connect with each other and appreciate the cricketing skills of the players. It has played an important role in identifying the emerging cricketers, which in turn has helped Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) to plan and nurture the talents of the budding cricketers. The tournament has positively identified many new players who could potentially be playing for the National team in the near future. National cricket tournament is also a platform which motivates and instils a burning desire in the hearts of the players to represent India in the International tournaments.
