Sports Ministry urged to honour physically disabled cricketers for World Cup win

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently rewarded ₹ 65 lakh to the Indian disability cricket team that won the first T20 Physical Disability World Cricket Series last year. The Physically Challenged Cricket Association of India says this is not enough and that the players must get support on par as the blind cricket team.

What the Indian cricket team could not do on 2019, India’s physically disabled cricketers achieved, that too in their debut world series.

Led by captain Vikrant Keni, the physically disabled team won the World Disability Series, a six-nation T20 tournament hosted by the England Cricket Board. Unbeaten throughout the tournament, India topped it up with a win in the finals against the hosts by 36 runs.

India won all the matches in the series

An achievement even more incredible given that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not provide any funding to the Physically Challenged Cricket Association of India (PCCAI). It allowed the AICPAC to field an official Indian team for the World Series, nothing more. It was only after India won the series, that the BCCI awarded them a cash prize of ₹ 65 lakh.

The PCCAI says this gesture of the BCCI is much appreciated but hopes for more from the Sports Ministry. Speaking to NewzHook, Ravi Chauhan, a senior member, said that physically disabled cricket must also get support like blind cricket.

Each member of the Blind Cricket Team received a cash award of ₹ five lakh from the Sports Ministry after the World Cup win. This was followed with other kinds of support like jobs, etc. Like them, the physically disabled cricketers have also won the World Cup and brought home laurels for India. Why this discrimination? The BCCI award alone is not enough. The government should also step in. – Ravi Chauhan, General Secretary, Physically Challenged Cricket Association of India

The PCCAI has also reached out to Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and issued an appeal to honour the physically disabled cricketers. “The BCCI has honoured the physically disabled cricket team for its achievements. We hope that the Sports Ministry will also acknowledge this in some way”, adds Chauhan.

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