Team Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) lifted the trophy of the 2nd season of Sardar Patel National Divyang T20 Cup which culminated on Monday.
Brajesh Pathak, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, handed over the trophy to the winners in the presence of the tournament’s Brand Ambassador, Dr (HC) Deepa Malik, (Padma Shree, Khel Ratna & Arjuna Awardee), Ashwani Kumar, Executive Director, Indian Bank, Ravi Chauhan, Secretary, Differently-Abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI) and Sqn. Ldr. Abhai Pratap Singh, Joint Secretary, DCCI at the closing ceremony held at the K D Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow.
After a heartening support from UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the second season of the tournament commenced a week ago on October 31, 2022 in Lucknow. The Divyang Cricketers were at their best and the spectators witnessed some thrilling matches. Some of the highlights involved Hyderabad team’s S Prashanth claiming 5 wickets in 5 balls against Karnataka, and Maharashtra’s Ravindra Sante smashing 5 sixes in their match against Karnataka.
In the end, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir made it to the finals and Jammu & Kashmir emerged victorious. The final scores were – J&K at 87/10 in 16.2 overs, while Haryana made 71 /10 in 18.3 overs. J&K beat Haryana by 16 runs. The performance of Aamir Hassan from J&K was outstanding, and he was named man of the match for scoring 29* in a low-scoring match and then taking crucial 3 wickets.
J&K’s Wasim Iqbal was adjudged the ‘Man of the Series’ for his great all-round performance. Anuj of Haryana was adjudged the ‘Best Batsman’ while S Prashanth of Hyderabad was the ‘Best Bowler’ of the tournament.
The tournament was the biggest ever cricket platform for differently abled cricket players and had the highest amount of prize money ever given. Nearly 400 players and officials from 20 different states participated in the tournament.
Ashwani Kumar, expressing his joy on this exhilarating tournament was quoted as saying in a press release by DCCI, “The spectacle witnessed during the last few days have been immensely inspiring. Seeing the players play with such passion and ambition made us forget for a while the many hindrances they face. They are truly examples to emulate, both for their talent and their spirit.”
Dr. (HC) Deepa Malik, added, “The past eight days have been mesmerizing. Seeing the divyang cricketers exhibit their abilities beyond disabilities and the organization of matches along with live telecast on all platforms, the love of people engagement has made us achieve our aim behind the Sardar Patel Cup.”
“The sponsors have played their part with utmost sincerity and Lucknow has been a great host city in terms of administrative support. Under the able leadership of Modi ji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) and Yogi ji, our country is emerging as a country of equal opportunities and Sports, a great source of Empowerment for Divyangjan,” he added.
On this occasion, Ravi Chauhan said, “This is the first time that cricket for the differently-abled has unfolded at such a grand scale in India. For this feat, I am thankful to Indian Bank who came on-board as our main sponsor besides the key support received from Kotak Life and other sponsors. This has set the benchmark for us and against this backdrop, the future of the next seasons appears bright.”