Cricket Association for Blind laments lack of financial support from BCCI

CABI on Monday announced that it will be sending its men’s and women’s teams for the IBSA World Games, scheduled to commence in Birmingham on August 19.

FILE PHOTO: Mahantesh GKivadasannavar, CABI Chairperson (left) Ajay Kumar Reddy, Captain, Indian Blind cricket team. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K / The Hindu

The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) made another plea to the BCCI to extend financial support to the organisation, saying that while moral support was much appreciated, monetary aid would go a long way in improving the standard of the sport in the country.

CABI on Monday announced that it will be sending its men’s and women’s teams for the IBSA World Games, scheduled to commence in Birmingham on August 19.

Cricket is making an entry into the quadrennial International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games this year, and CABI hopes the success of its teams in the global event will take blind cricket to great heights.

“The BCCI had asked us to constitute the DCCI (Differently Abled Cricket Council of India) which we did. But we are not getting financial support from the BCCI, though we have their moral support as they assist us by arranging venues for our matches,” said GK Mahantesh, the CABI chairman at a press conference here on Monday.

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif was also in attendance at the event.

“Our cricketers have won three T20 World Cups and two ODI World Cup and we had received assurances from the sports minister about more support following our title triumph in the 2022 T20 Blind World Cup at Bengaluru, but nothing has happened so far,” lamented Mahantesh.

The Indian men’s team, led by Ajay Kumar Reddy, will play its first match in the IBSA World Games against arch-rivals Pakistan on August 20 in the five-team contest. The other competing teams in the men’s section are Australia, England and Bangladesh.

The final will be played at Edgbaston on August 26.

The India women’s team, led by Varsha, will play its first match against Australia on August 20. There are only three teams in the fray and the final will be played in Edgbaston on August 26.

Both the men’s and women’s teams are training in Bengaluru.

Besides cricket, the IBSA World Games will hold competitions in judo, goalball, football, chess, tenpin bowling, shooting, showdown, archery and tennis.

Indian Blind Association general secretary David Absalom added that plans were afoot to bring the next edition of the IBSA World Games to India.