The inaugural Blind Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup has cast a powerful spotlight on the extraordinary journeys of visually impaired women from India—many of whom come from rural, low-income and deeply challenging backgrounds, yet have risen to represent the country on the world stage.
The six-team tournament featuring India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and the USA began in Delhi on 11 November, moved to Bengaluru for select fixtures, and has now reached Colombo for the semi-finals and final. India dominated the league stage, winning all five matches and becoming the first team to enter the knockouts.
For the 16-member Indian squad, drawn from nine states—Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi, Assam and Bihar—the journey to the World Cup has been far from conventional. Many were introduced to the game through special schools, disability organisations or community-driven sports camps.
According to team manager Shika Shetty, the group represents remarkable resilience. “Most of the players are from rural backgrounds. Language and culture were barriers, families and teachers were often unwilling to let them pursue the sport, and even explaining the rules of blind cricket took time. But now they are all competing with pride.”
A sport adapted for sightless athletes
Blind cricket uses a plastic ball fitted with metal bearings that produce a jingling sound, helping players track movement through audio cues. Players are categorised into B1 (fully blind), B2 and B3 based on residual vision, and every team must have a fixed mix of all three. The ball is bowled underarm along the ground, B1 batters use runners for safety, and every run they score counts as two.
The format for this World Cup is a single round-robin league, with the top teams progressing to the semi-finals. India’s unbeaten run has fuelled optimism that they may replicate the success of the sighted Indian women’s team, who recently won the T20 World Cup in Navi Mumbai.
Deepika TC: Leading by instinct, sound and courage
India’s skipper, Deepika TC from Karnataka, lost her vision in infancy after an accident. Growing up in a farming family, she never imagined sport would shape her life. It was only at a specialised school that she was introduced to cricket.
“What began with hesitation has become my identity,” she said. Leading India at the World Cup, she added, is “the biggest moment of my and my team’s life”. She also acknowledged support from India’s T20 World Cup champion Jemimah Rodrigues and men’s Test captain Shubman Gill.
Stories of struggle, persistence and hope
Vice-captain Ganga Kadam from Maharashtra comes from a family of nine children. Her farmer father enrolled her in a school for the blind so she could build a stable future. Cricket arrived unintentionally—she played it casually until a mentor urged her to take it seriously. Learning to trust sound cues took time, but she persisted, becoming a role model in her village.
Twenty-year-old top-order batter Anekha Devi from Jammu and Kashmir, partially blind since birth, first attended a blind cricket camp in Delhi on her uncle’s suggestion. Overwhelmed initially by unfamiliar sounds and techniques, she adapted quickly and impressed coaches with her grasp of the audible ball. Within two years she made her India debut.
Eighteen-year-old all-rounder Phula Saren from Odisha, raised in a tribal community, lost the vision in her left eye at age five and lost her mother shortly afterwards. She discovered cricket through a teacher at a school for the blind. Travelling for tournaments was difficult, and convincing her family was even harder, but her persistence eventually paid off.
Another team member, Madhya Pradesh’s Sunita Sarathe, took an unusual route. She completed her education, explored multiple jobs, and only then attended a blind cricket camp. Initially intimidated by the speed and complexity of the sport, she trained intensely and is today one of India’s most reliable fielders.
A young programme gaining global traction
Blind women’s cricket is still new in India. The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), formed in 2011, began systematically scouting women only in 2019. The women’s team played their first international match in 2023 and went on to win gold at the IBSA World Games in Birmingham.
Mahantesh GK, CABI chairperson, said the women’s World Cup had been long overdue. “Creating this tournament took huge effort. Money was a challenge. Getting teams was a challenge. But we persisted. Now the response from central and state governments, sponsors and the public has been remarkable.”
Rising visibility and a turning point for families
The tournament’s semi-finals and final in Colombo are being streamed live on CABI’s YouTube channel and Prasar Bharati platforms, with India’s matches also on Doordarshan. Shetty believes this exposure will transform parental attitudes. “Once families actually saw these women play, they felt reassured. It no longer seems like an unknown path,” she said.
As the World Cup heads toward its finale on Sunday, India’s visually impaired women cricketers stand as symbols of courage, representation and the expanding future of adaptive sport.