Blind Women’s Cricket Team made a huge win on Sunday by lifting the first-ever T20 World Cup Trophy. The final match was held at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo, Sri Lanka, against Nepal. India defeated Nepal by seven wickets, securing the historical moment.
The whole series was a victory for the team as India won all its league matches, including the semi-final. The star of the final match was Phula Saren, as her great strokes, including four boundaries, ensured that India stayed well ahead of the required run rate. Mahantesh G, chairman of the Cricket Association for the Blind in India, shared that there has been a rapid rise in women’s blind cricket, creating a standard and global footprint.
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Blind Women’s Cricket 2025
The inaugural World Cup began structured development only in 2019 for India. It provided a platform for blind Women’s Cricket. Digital media play an essential role in spreading awareness about sports through live and national-level broadcasting. India and Sri Lanka co-hosted the tournament. It included six teams: India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, and the US in a single round-robin.
Cricket Format for Players with Visual Impairments
The team consisted of three different subgroups of players: B1 (fully blind), B2 and B3. Players are grouped by Sight. The team must have a mix of all three categories. An audible plastic ball filled with metal bearings that jingles was used in the match. Thus, the auditory sense was used to navigate the whole match. All the bowls thrown to any player would be underarm along the ground. B1 batters would be assisted by runners for safety purposes. Each run they score counts as two.
History Day for Indian Sports
The team was praised by many people at the leadership level, including, President of the United States (US), Amit Shah, the Federal Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM congratulates the team on X (previously known as Tweeter), highlighting the win as a historic sports achievement. Another line of praise came from cricket legends such as Mithali Raj and Yuvraj Singh.
Challenges Encountered
The Indian Cricket team consists of players who have become a part of the team by achieving a spot after overcoming many challenges. Many players are from villages, farming families, and small towns where resources, opportunities and awareness are limited. Also, many had a short-term training period, which means they have learnt the sport only in the past few years.
Women and Disability
It’s a double barrier that needs to be crossed by women with disabilities. As a part of Indian society, we are well aware of gender based discrimination that women or girls experience every day – be it at home, school, neighbourhood or job. Thus, being a woman with disabilities multiplies the hindrance the individual will face by more than double the times. Therefore, resilience, opportunity and resources facilitate the empowerment process.
Opportunity & Empowerment
The victory highlights the fact that if resources and opportunities are given, then impairment can become an ability. These wins encourage others who are fighting to get equal opportunity and a chance that they also deserve, regardless of any disabilities.
