Mumbai: The Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) is organising the first T-10 Women’s Deaf Premier League in Mumbai from 8 to 11 January 2024.In its inaugural edition, six specially-abled women’s teams from different parts of the country will compete on the field to clinch the coveted Premier League trophy.

IDCA president Sumit Jain commented, “We are grateful to Serum Institute of India, Cyrus Poonawalla Group, Nykaa & Indo Count for their wholehearted support to our movement of supporting hearing impaired Women players in our forthcoming tournaments in 2024. IDCA is proud of our women players, these are athletes despite their commitment to their home & families have brought immense pride to society & have excelled in the field of Cricket.”

The four-day tournament will kick off with a special opening ceremony organised on Monday, January 8 at 9 AM at Police Gymkhana Cricket Ground, Marine Lines, Mumbai, Maharashtra. In this four-day tournament, six Deaf women’s cricket teams - Punjab Lions, UP. Warriorz, Mumbai Stars, Delhi Bulls, Hyderabad Eagles and Bangalore Badshahs - will play a total of 11 matches before making it to the finals.

The two best teams will face each other in the final match scheduled for 11 January 2024.

Serum Institute of India founder chairman, and IDCA T-10 Women’s Deaf Premier League Support partner Dr Cyrus S Poonawalla said, “We are delighted & committed to extend our support for the first T-10 Women’s Deaf Premier League 2024. It will help to motivate the specially-abled youth of the country to dream big and strive hard to achieve their dreams as nothing is impossible. We are looking forward to a long partnership with the brand.” 

The winning team and the players will be felicitated for their exceptional performance at the closing ceremony to be held on 11 January at 4 PM. The IDCA T-10 champions will receive a prize of Rs 1, 00,000, while the runner-up will get Rs 50,000. The best individual sportsmen in categories such as batting, bowling, fielding, super sixes will receive cash awards.

Supporting the tournament, Nykaa Foundation said, “IDCA T-10 Women’s Deaf Premier League is an exceptional platform for specially-abled women players to showcase their incredible talent. This initiative will help raise awareness among specially-abled players across the country to pursue their passion and aim for the stars in the world of sports. Additionally, it will foster a sense of empowerment and inclusivity within the sports community. We are excited to support IDCA once again in this initiative and look forward to the upcoming tournament.”

IDCA CEO Roma Balwani added, “The excitement of playing in Mumbai & competing in the home ground of stalwarts of cricket is truly special. IDCA believes in celebrating diversity & inclusion through disability sports, especially cricket. We thank all our support partners, state associations, for their belief in our endeavor to promote deaf cricket both in India & Internationally. We salute each woman player for their grit & resilience to prove their sportsmanship on the cricket field besides being homemakers. Best wishes to all these amazing women participating in specially-abled sports.”

Corporate partners, KFC India, Hero MotoCorp, Indo Count, CoLearn and Kaizzen are supporting IDCA for the upcoming tournament.

Watch the tournament live on YouTube channel, IDCA.TV.