Mumbai Beat Karnataka to Emerge Winners of National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Specially-Abled in Udaipur
Mumbai emerged winners at the Fourth National Cricket T20 Tournament for the Specially Abled being held at Udaipur. The Finals of the 11-day cricket championship was jointly organized by Narayan Seva Sansthan, Udaipur and the Differently Abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI) and was played Friday, October 25 at the BN College ground in Udaipur. Mumbai defeated Karnataka to emerge victorious and took home the prize catch of Rs. 5 Lakh. The founder of the Narayan Seva Sansthan, Kailash 'Manav', offered his blessings for the success of this significant event.
Over 350 specially-abled players from 24 teams across the country showcased their enthusiasm, passion, and talent in 67 matches throughout the tournament. Some participants were missing a leg or an arm, yet they captured the hearts of sports fans with their remarkable performances, akin to that of able-bodied players.
During an event featuring players from 24 teams and numerous spectators, the guests on stage awarded ₹11000 to the final match's hero, Man of the Match Ravindra Sante from Mumbai, ₹25000 to the tournament's best bowler, Satish Kirad from Rajasthan, ₹25000 to the top fielder, Kunal Fannse from Maharashtra, and ₹25000 to the best batsman, Shivashankara from Karnataka.
This recognition was provided by Smeenu Jindal from her own institution. Additionally, a scooty was awarded to Akash Patil of Mumbai, recognized as the player of the series, while the keys to a sparkling car were presented to Surendra Khorwal of Rajasthan, who emerged as the tournament's star player. This prize was presented by the Shri Chaturbhuj Foundation.
Both the semi-finalist teams, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, received a prize of 1 lakh each. The winning team, Mumbai, was awarded 5 lakh rupees, and the runner-up, Karnataka, received 2.50 lakh rupees. In the final match, Karnataka won the toss and opted to bat first. Thanks to Narendra Mangore's impressive 68 runs, Karnataka posted a total of 175 runs for 6 wickets. In pursuit of the target, Mumbai successfully chased down the score, finishing at 178 runs for 2 wickets in 18.1 overs, aided by Ravindra Sante's 70 runs and Prasad Chauhan's 57 runs, ultimately winning by 8 wickets.
The closing ceremony was graced by Rajya Sabha member Chunnilal Garasiya as the chief guest, while Maharaj Pratap Singh, chairman of the Khatu Shyam Mandir Management Committee and patron of DCCI, presided over the event.
Before the match commenced, Prashant Agarwal, President of the Narayan Seva Sansthan extended a warm welcome to the guests, players and DCCI officials on behalf of the institute, praising the dedication of the specially abled individuals towards sports. He expressed how fortunate the institute felt to be part of this significant gathering of disabled cricket.
DCCI Secretary Ravikant Chauhan provided a report on the tournament and expressed gratitude to his colleagues. Special guests included DCCI Rajasthan President Jyotsna Chaudhary, Dronacharya Awardee Mahavir Saini, Rajasthan Royals Head Staff Abhijeet, former Rajasthan Ranji Team Captain Rohit Jhalani, DCCI Joint Secretary Abhay Pratap Singh, DCCI Corporate Affairs Committee Chairman Rajesh Bhardwaj, Chaturbhuj Foundation's Rahul Patel, and Swayam Foundation's representative Bhupendra Kumar.