India Win Inaugural T20 Blind Women's World Cup After Defeating Nepal By 7 Wickets

Colombo: India clinched the inaugural T20 Blind Women’s World Cup on Sunday, defeating Nepal by seven wickets in the final at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo, after beating Australia in the semi-final. India restricted Nepal to 114/5, conceding one boundary, and chased down the target in 12 overs.

Phula Saren anchored the chase with an unbeaten 44. Co-hosts Sri Lanka won just one of their five league games, and beat Pakistan in the other semifinal.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin called the team the pride of India and an inspiration to the world.

Players use a plastic ball, the size of a tennis ball, that is packed with ball bearings that rattle as it rolls. The bowler must ask if the batter is ready and then yell “play” as the jingling ball is delivered underarm with at least one bounce.

Each side has 11 players, but at least four must be totally blind, classified as “B1”. Players are required to wear blindfolds for fairness. Fielders clap to indicate their positions on the field.

Others are partially sighted, classified by how far they can see — two metres (six feet) for B2 players, six for B3. Each team can have up to eight totally blind players. Any run scored by a B1 player counts as two.