The finale match was played between Mumbai & Chandigarh teams on May 25th in Bengaluru.
- Chandigarh won the IDCA women’s 4th national cricket championship for the deaf. Mumbai scored 73 runs in 8 overs. Chandigarh chased it down in 7.1 overs and won the game by 8 wickets.
Bengaluru, 26th May 2023: Chandigarh won the IDCA (Indian Deaf Cricket Association) Women’s 4th T-10 National Cricket Championship for deaf – 2023 in Bengaluru. The finale match was played between Mumbai & Chandigarh teams on 25th May in which the latter was defeated by Chandigarh
The closing ceremony was held at the Samprasiddhi Sports Estadio in a ceremony presided by the Chief Guest, Ms. Mamatha Maben, former Indian Cricketer. A felicitation ceremony was also held in the evening at the Padukone – Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence at Bengaluru.
While Ms. Neha (Chandigarh) was awarded ‘Player of the Match’ and as the ‘Best Batswoman of the Series’, Ms. Dharya bestowed with the honour of ‘Best Bowler of the Series’ and Ms. Needa Shaikh was awarded ‘Player of the Series’ presented by Shamanth SM, Bengaluru based cricketer.
Chandigarh won the IDCA women’s 4th national cricket championship for the deaf. Mumbai scored 73 runs in 8 overs. Chandigarh chased it down in 7.1 overs and won the game by 8 wickets.
Mumbai won the toss and decided to bat first. Chandigarh dismissed Needa Shaikh early. Needa had been in great form, and her wicket was a crucial moment in the game. Fauzia and Neelam Kini stitched together a partnership of 46 runs, and Mumbai managed to score 73.
It was a challenging total, and Chandigarh had to bat well. Chandigarh lost an early wicket. Chandigarh’s captain was dismissed on 2, but it was Neha’s innings that made the difference at the end. She remained unbeaten and scored 56 off 23 balls.
She played the innings of the tournament and batted effortlessly. She single-handedly chased the total down and helped Chandigarh lift their maiden title.
Congratulating the winners and all the other players from the tournament, former cricketer Mamatha Maben, said, “I am extremely grateful to IDCA for providing deaf women cricketers the right platform to showcase their talent and realize their long-standing dreams. I feel proud seeing these incredible hearing- impaired players, with their extraordinary talent and indomitable spirit, are breaking barriers and inspiring their peers. These tournaments are proof that the women’s cricket in India is supporting inclusion & diversity & tremendously showcasing the incredible talent pool available across our country which can mainstream in future.”
Present on the occasion were Chief Guest, former Indian Cricketer, Mamatha Maben, guests of honour, Former Indian Cricketer J K Mahendra, James Godber, Deputy Head of Mission, UK Deputy High Commission, Bangalore, A K Singh, Deputy General Manager, Canara Bank, Deepthi Bopaiah, CEO, Go Sports Foundation, Shamanth SM, Cricketer, Nandita Lakshmanan, Chairperson, The PRactice.
Sumit Jain, President IDCA said, “IDCA is delighted to host this tournament in Bengaluru, which is also one of the venues for the IPL. We are excited that the IDCA Women’s 4th T 10 National Championship has generated public awareness & goodwill for deaf cricket. IDCA advisory board was delighted to welcome the presence of our Chief Guest Ms. Mamatha Maben at the closing ceremony. He added, ‘We are grateful and thank Can Fin Housing Ltd, Nykaa Foundation, NTPC & Villoo Poonawalla foundation for their immense support to disability sport, specially cricket. IDCA will lead the country with our efforts to train & motivate deaf cricketers to play mainstream cricket as we follow the ICC format.”
Ms. Roma Balwani, CEO IDCA commented, “We are delighted with the presence of Guest of Honour, Mr. James Godber, Depputy Chief of Mission, UK Deputy British High Commissioner, Bangalore, in support of our endeavour ‘Cricket for a Cause’ which resonates with the spirit of youth, community, diversity & sustainability”. She added, “We thank Padukone-Dravid Centre of Sports Excellence, Chimanlal.M. Shah Charitable trust, Collearn, Neetart who have come forward whole-heartedly in support of deaf cricket as a social cause.
Mr. James Godber, Deputy Chief of Mission, UK, Deputy High Commission in Bangalore says, “It has been a wonderful afternoon, privileged to come and watch these wonderful women playing cricket today , enjoying themselves; celebrating through sports, building new friendships, partnerships; and perfecting their excellence. I am honoured to be here, thank you very much for inviting me.”
Mumbai came into the finals without losing any games in the league stages. Chandigarh defeated unbeaten Delhi in the semi-finals. Mumbai won the toss and decided to bat first. The early wicket of Needa Shaikh was a big moment in the game. Needa had won four consecutive Player of the Match awards and was in great form. Mumbai managed to score 74, which was a good total.
Mumbai’s dream of winning the third consecutive title was shattered by a brilliant innings from Neha. We have seen a lot of good innings in this tournament from different batters, but Neha’s innings under pressure was the innings of the tournament. She single-handedly chased the total down and helped Chandigarh lift their maiden title. Congratulations to Chandigarh!
