Bengaluru to host 13 T20 World Cup for Blind matches

Bengaluru will host 13 matches, including the final and a semifinal of the second T20 World Cup for the Blind, Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) president Mahantesh GK announced at a press conference here on Friday.
 

The World Cup begins on January 30 and the final will be held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on February 12.

One of the semifinals on February 11 and the league matches (from February 6-9) will be played at the Alur grounds.

“I would like to thank the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for having allotted the Chinnaswamy Stadium to host the final,” Mahantesh said.

''The total budget of the tournament is Rs 8 crore and we are still short of 40 per cent of the funds. Blind cricket needs the fillip and many other sponsors are coming forward. We are sure to conduct the tournament in a big way. I appeal to corporate houses, industries and organisations to come forward and support this cause by helping us meet our sponsorship needs. Even a common man can support us by buying the ball used in cricket for blind from our official website www.blindcricket.in. There is also a provision for crowd contribution in the website where people can contribute whatever amount they are willing to,” he said.

KSCA interim-secretary Sudhakar Rao and Indian batswoman VR Vanitha were also present on the occasion.

“Hosting an international event like the T20 World Cup is not a joke and I am proud the CABI, headquartered in Bengaluru, have done a commendable job in putting up the event across 12 cities in India. KSCA is extremely happy to announce the allotment of the Chinnaswamy stadium for hosting the final,” said Rao.

India, the defending champions, will kick start their campaign against Bangladesh at the IIT grounds in New Delhi on the opening day.