Jaipur. Squadron Leader Abhay Pratap Singh (Retd.), President of Wheelchair Cricket India Association and Joint Secretary of DCCI, dedicated to the welfare of disabled players playing wheelchair cricket in the country, appointed Rajesh Bhardwaj, Chairman Corporate Affairs and Communication of DCCI, as the new Chairman of Wheelchair Cricket India Association.
On this occasion, Squadron Leader Abhay Pratap Singh (Retd.) said that Rajesh Bhardwaj will fully support with body, mind and money for the upliftment of players playing wheelchair cricket and will take the sport and the players to new heights.
It is worth noting that Rajesh Bhardwaj took over as Chairman Corporate Affairs and Communication of Differently Abled Cricket Council of India, the support body of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the governing body of cricket in the country, on 4 January 2024 and since assuming this post, he has made many efforts for the welfare of disabled players. The Differently Abled Cricket Council of India is working to promote Divyang players under the able leadership of ICC Chairman Jay Shah.
Under his leadership, 2 Physically Disabled Cricket Series has been successfully organized. A 3-match Physically Disabled Cricket Series was held between the teams of India and England in Ahmedabad from 26 January 2024 to 6 February 2024, in which the Indian team won 3 – 0. After this, the Sri Lankan Wheelchair Cricket Team visited India from 11 June 2024 to 16 June 2024 and a series of 5 T-20 matches was organized in Greater Noida. In this series, the Indian team won 5 – 0.
Apart from this, a national tournament of teams from 24 states was organized in Udaipur from 15 October to 25 October. Apart from this, currently the 4-nation PD Champions Trophy is also going on in Sri Lanka between January 11 and January 21, which includes disabled teams of England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka apart from India. Mr. Rajesh Bhardwaj is going to tour Sri Lanka on January 18.
Along with this, DCCI is organizing the 4th National Wheelchair Cricket Championship 2025 from 5 February to 15 February 2025 at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Disabled Sports Training Center, Gwalior. This championship will include 18 teams representing 18 states, in which more than 250 elite wheelchair cricket players will showcase their skills.
On this occasion, Rajesh Bhardwaj said that these physically disabled children playing cricket should get the same sports facilities that the main team playing cricket gets. He wants these children to get coaching like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, five-star hotels like them for their stay, air-conditioned buses like the Indian team for their transportation.
After taking over as DCCI Chairman (Corporate Affairs and Communication) in January 2024, Rajesh Bhardwaj was constantly engaged in bringing CSR funds and sponsorships from big corporates and business houses.
, President of Wheelchair Cricket India Association and Joint Secretary){kind=link}