Cricketers with physical disabilities produce captivating cricket through the first Divyang Premier League (DPL) at the Sharjah Stadium.

 By K.R. Nayar

They are cricketers with physical deformities...some with just an arm or just a leg. They take unbelievable one-handed catches, run cheeky singles, and stop boundaries despite limping all the way. These determined cricketers produced a fascinating contest at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium through the first edition of the Divyang Premier League for the physically challenged.

Mukesh Kanchan, who is also the president of the Divyang Cricket Control Board of India  

Divyang Premier League (DPL) is a cricket tournament with a difference. It is played by cricketers of determination, some have only an arm, some with just one leg, and some have a limping weak leg. But they produced fascinating cricket at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday representing the different states of India.

This tournament was broadcast live on television by SF360 Digital Production. As one of the commentators for the event, it was an unbelievable experience. There were moments I choked for words while describing some of the brilliant catches they took with their only hand. Their one-handed flowing drives surprised me and one could fall short of adjectives while describing the brilliance behind them. As fielders, they struggled to reach the ball but stopped shots to the boundary by throwing themselves onto the ball. Their passion for the game was remarkable, and the excitement of playing in a historic venue like the Sharjah Cricket Stadium made it special for them. They tried to do everything that they have seen the legends of the game do on the same ground.

 Ravindra Paul of Delhi Challengers (left) and Mukesh Kanhcan  

The first thing that most of them did was to take photos of themselves inside the stadium and then they walked out to give their best. Some of the pacers with deformities bowled with a limp, yet they were on target. 

Haroon Rasheed, General Secretary,  Divyang Cricket Control Board 

This event is being organised by the Divyang Cricket Control Board of India and has players from different parts of India. The teams are named Chennai Super Stars, Delhi Challengers, Kolkata Knight Fighters, Mumbai Ideals, Gujarat Hitters, and Rajasthan Rajwada.
Speaking to krbuzz.blogspot.com, Haroon Rasheed, the Secretary-General and founder of Divyang Cricket Control Board of India, said: “The word 'Divyang' was given by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He preferred to change it from 'Vikalang' since he wanted the disabled to be known as 'differently-abled. In fact, he wanted them to prove that they are extra-ordinary.”

Shakti Singh of Rajasthan Rajwada 

Divyang Cricket Control Board of India has now 22 states registered with them. Twenty-seven out of the 31 members of the board are disabled. The composition of the Divyang Cricket Control Board of India is stated under the direction given by the Supreme Court of India.

The plan to stage the first edition of their league at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium was born after watching the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 that was held in the UAE. “Our primary motto is to prove that we are equal to everyone and that we have the abilities to do anything that we dream. We are not a rich cricket body like the Board of Control for Cricket in India but we are rich in our dreams. When these players expressed the desire to play on the same stage where the IPL was held, we got together and worked towards it. Moreover, everyone knows that the Sharjah Cricket Stadium is a historic venue recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting the maximum number of One Day Internationals. So we put in all our effort to play here, worked hard for six months to realise this goal, and finally achieved it.” 

Divyang Cricket Control Board of India has been managing the Indian Divyang Cricket team since 2007 and has organized 31 international series'. The team has played in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.

The winners' trophy 

“There are six international teams approved by the International Council for Physically Challenged. They are India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal,” revealed Kumar Swathantra, Senior Vice President of the Divyang Cricket Control Board of India. This board has organised 96 international cricket matches and emerged as champions in the Asia Cup in 2015 and runners up in the 2019 edition.

“We plan to host the second edition of this league also in Sharjah with five international players in each team. Then it will be somewhat like the IPL, which includes foreign players. We are so excited by the response and support to this event from the Sharjah Cricket Stadium that we are also planning to host an India-Pakistan series here soon.”

Mazhar Khan, General Manager Sharjah Cricket Stadium, presents the man of the match trophy to Chennai's Kailash 

The organisers also hope that their players shine like the great cricketers of the world. Through cricket, they wish to erase the stigma linked to disability and announce that differently-abled people also possess skills that can be expressed, and they too deserve to be applauded.
 

Nitinder Singh who is the Director Cricket Operations and head coach along with Deepak Kumar, a NIS qualified coach, work hard on sharpening their skills. “We coach them taking into consideration their deformity to help them execute their skills better. It is not the same rule for everyone,” revealed Singh. Ensuring that coaching and all facilities are in place is their board president Mukesh Kanchan and female Chief Executive Officer Ghazal Khan.

Four qualified umpires who are all disabled have been flown in specially for this event.  They are Yogesh Shinde from the Baroda Cricket Council, Andhra Pradesh Cricket Council’s Nagendra Singh Rajput, Lalith Kumar from Punjab Cricket Council, and Mohammad Rafi representing Rajasthan Cricket Council. Rafi’s style of declaring a boundary standing on one leg and creating waves with his hand was a treat to watch. They also have an official scorer Bhavin Panchal from the Baroda Cricket Council.

The three matches held on Wednesday saw a five-wicket spell from Gulam Din of Kolkata Knight Fighters, a four-wicket spell from Mumbai Ideals captain Brajesh Dwivedi, half-centuries from Mumbai Ideals' Suraj Kumar Mankele (50), Kolkata Knight Fighters' Rahil Pandey (70), Jeet Bhowmik (55), and Delhi Challengers Balraj Singh Brar (51).
The final will be held today (Thursday) from 7 pm onwards.