World T20 for the blind to begin on Jan 30, hosts India to take on Bangladesh in opener

New Delhi:The opening T20 World Cup Cricket for the blind will start from Monday with two matches slated in Delhi when India takes on Bangladesh and New Zealand with Pakistan.

For the first time, the World Cup matches will take place in multiple cities across India.

Ten teams, including hosts India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Australia and England, will fight it out for the title.

The final is slated for February 12.

The matches will be played in twelve venues, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore and Bhubaneswar.

A seventeen member squad led by Ajay Kumar Reddy will represent India in the mega-event.

Former Indian blind cricket team captain Shekhar Naik yesterday released the Blind Anthem for T20 World Cup in New Delhi.

Naik, who is set to be conferred with the Padma Shri Award, has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to grant affiliation to the Cricket Associaion for Blind in India.

Naik represented the country in 82 matches and captained India to victories at the T20 Blind Cricket World Cup in 2012 and 2014 editions.

He also asked for similar facilities for the blind cricket team on par with normal cricketers get.