Rajesh Bhardwaj appointed as chairman of Wheelchair Cricket India Association

Jaipur: Wheelchair Cricket India Association (WCIA) is dedicated to the welfare of disabled players playing wheelchair cricket in the country. WCIA president and joint secretary of DCCI Squadron Leader Abhay Pratap Singh (Retd) appointed DCCI chairman corporate affairs & communication Rajesh Bhardwaj as the new chairman of Wheelchair Cricket India Association (WCIA), on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti.Squadron Leader Abhay Pratap Singh (Retd) visited Rajesh Bhardwaj's residence in Noida and handed over the appointment letter to him for this post and expressed hope that Bhardwaj will work tirelessly for the upliftment of players playing wheelchair cricket and will take the sport and the players to new heights.It is worth noting that Bhardwaj took charge of the post of chairman, corporate affairs and communication of the Differently Abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI) on January 4, 2024. DCCI is a support body of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the governing body of cricket in the country. Since assuming this post, he has made many efforts for the welfare of differently abled players. The DCCI is working to promote differently abled players under the able leadership of ICC chairman Jay Shah.Under his leadership, DCCI has successfully organised two Physically Disabled Cricket Series. A 3-match Physically Disabled Cricket Series was held between the teams of India and England in Ahmedabad from January 26, 2024, to February 6, 2024, in which the Indian team won 3-0. After this, the Sri Lankan wheelchair cricket team visited India from June 11, 2024, to June 16, 2024 and a series of 5 T-20 matches was organised in Greater Noida. In this series, the Indian team won with a margin of 5-0.Apart from this, a national tournament of teams from 24 states was organised in Udaipur between October 15 and October 25, 2024. Currently the PD Champions Trophy of 4 countries is also going on in Sri Lanka between January 11 to 21, which includes disabled teams of England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka apart from India. Bhardwaj is going to tour Sri Lanka on January 18.Along with this, DCCI is organising the 4th National Wheelchair Cricket Championship 2025 from February 5 to 15 at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Handicapped Sports Training Center in Gwalior. This championship will include 18 teams representing 18 states in which more than 250 elite wheelchair cricket players will showcase their skills.Bhardwaj believes that these physically disabled children playing cricket should get the same sports facilities as the main cricket team. 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.Since taking over as chairman (corporate affairs & communication) of DCCI (PD & Wheelchair) in January 2024, Bhardwaj was continuously engaged in bringing CSR funds and sponsorships from big corporates and business houses. Due to his efforts and hard work, APL Apollo Steel Tubes, Finolex Pipes, Jaiprakash Power Ventures Limited, GD Mining, Surya Roshni, Payomatix, CRC Group and Jindal Group have joined the Indian differently abled and wheelchair cricket team as sponsors. Along with this, some big business houses are also going to join DCCI in the coming days, which include JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, Mankind Pharma, CP Plus, Priya Gold Biscuits, Rupa Company, Dollar Industries and Manyavar.