Gurugram/Mumbai, March 16, 2024: Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) in partnership with the Cricket Association for the Blind in India has organised an International T20 Cricket Series for visually impaired individuals.
The Indian Men’s Blind Cricket Team dominated the five-match Samarth Championship, which concluded on March 15, by defeating Sri Lankan Men’s Blind Cricket Team in all the matches. The riveting series witnessed some unforgettable moments of extraordinary run chase, bowling and fielding efforts by both teams.
The five match International Bilateral Blind Men’s T20 Cricket Series was organised by Hyundai Motor India Foundation’s (HMIF) NGO partner, ‘Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled’, under its Samarth by Hyundai initiative. The aim of this initiative was to create awareness, enablement, and a more inclusive society for people with disabilities.
Speaking at the concluding ceremony, Un Soo Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Limited, said, “At Hyundai Motor India, we have been steadfast in our commitment to the global vision of 'Progress for Humanity'. Last year we launched ‘Samarth by Hyundai’ initiative, with an aim to create a more inclusive society for individuals with disabilities. The cricket series initiative represents our dedicated efforts to raise awareness and facilitate empowerment for people with disabilities. As cricket is more than mere sports for Indians, it’s a cultural force of unity, therefore we chose blind cricket to further promote societal equality for differently abled people. As we continue to prioritize India's comprehensive development, our goal remains to support the differently abled individuals, fostering a more compassionate society through our social endeavours. We congratulate the Indian Men’s Blind Cricket Team for such a great performance.”
The closing ceremony was graced by special guest Praveen Kumar, former fast-bowler in Indian men’s cricket and Mr. Madan Lal Sharma, former Indian cricketer & coach and member of 1983 world cup winning Indian team.
Team India dominated the entire series by winning the 1st and 2nd match with huge run margin of 132 runs and 134 runs respectively and continued the winning streak in the 3rd match with a thumping 7 wicket win. In the 4th T20 of the Samarth Championship, Team India beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets and following this unassailable lead, the final match saw Team India defeating Team Sri Lanka by 90 runs with a total of 227 runs.
Launched in Nov 2023, ‘Samarth’ initiative aims to enable an inclusive, progressive world through the power of mobility. Through this initiative, Hyundai aims to help create a more aware and sensitized society towards people with disabilities in India.
Under the ‘Samarth by Hyundai’ initiative, Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) (the philanthropic arm of Hyundai Motor India Limited) partnered with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled to support the differently abled individuals with assistive devices. Under the partnership, HMIF & Samarthanam will create a programme which will utilise blind cricket as a platform in pursuit of physical & social development of the visually impaired in India.
