The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a cash prize of Rs 1 crore for the Indian Blind Cricket Team that won the Twenty20 World Cup last month by beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the title-decider in Bengaluru.

The decision to reward the victorious team was taken in a meeting of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators on February 25. The prize money will be given to Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), who will pass it to players. This gesture from the richest cricket body will surely motivate the players, who are facing huge financial problems.

Expressing his delight over the news, Patrick Rajkumar, coach of the team, said:

“It’s a fabulous gesture. It’s not the money that matters, but the recognition. I hope BCCI ensures the money is shared amongst the players, support staff and the CABI.

“It’s a great moment for us. Getting this announcement and commitment from BCCI means a lot. My heartfelt thanks to the new team to have taken this decision. I’d written to BCCI officials persistently requesting financial assistance and recognition. We organised the T20 World Cup in a grand manner, which forced us to spend a lot of money and take loans. The blind community is happy about this move,” said CABI chief GK Mahantesh.

“This money will help us organise our cricket calendar. This gesture from the BCCI will now motivate the other corporates to come out and support us too. We were always asked by others about what BCCI was doing for us,” he added.

Ajay Reddy, captain of the team, also sounded happy with the BCCI’s ‘first good step’ for the betterment of blind cricket in the country.

“I’m happy . This is a good first step that the BCCI has taken and is thinking about blind cricket.Thank you so much BCCI. Now, we can play continuously , without worrying about money . We’ve been waiting for this sort of recognition for the past several years.Finally a step has been taken by the BCCI to develop blind cricket in India,” the captain said.