WATCH: DCCI organises inaugural Divyam Cricket Awards for differently abled cricketers in Jaipur

The Differently Abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI) and the Rajasthan Disabled Cricket Association (RDCA) worked together to host the first "Divyam Cricket Awards - DCCI Physical Disability Annual Awards 2025" at Hotel Clarks Amer in Jaipur. The first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award went to veteran Ravindra Patil from Mumbai, and the Player of the Year award went to Rajesh Kannur from Karnataka.

This historic event was to honor the amazing work and accomplishments of disabled cricketers, coaches, administrators, and fans. The Special Contribution Award went to Gurudas Raut from Vidarbha, the Players' Choice (Popular Player) award went to Vikrant Keni from Mumbai, and the Iconic Player Award went to Shivshankar from Karnataka. The Divyam Cricket

Awards honor not only great athletes but also the players for presenting an unbreakable spirit and willingness to include everyone in the game.

Watch the video here:

Divyam Cricket Awards will be annual feature: DCCI

The reason behind hosting this award is to represent some of the legends and give them greater recognition for disability cricket within Indian sport. This will lead to a foundation for the future generation. During the ceremony, Mr Neeraj K. Pawan, Chairman - Rajasthan State Sports Council & Youth Affairs and Mr D. D. Kumawat (Convenor - Ad Hoc Committee, RCA) announced the hosting of India- England Mixed Disability Cricket Series in Jaipur and will be offering full support to the disability cricket.

"This is the first time that the Divyam Cricket Awards have been held to formally recognise and honour disabled cricketers. Going forward, these awards will be an annual feature. We believe this initiative will further uplift the prestige of differently-abled players in society. At the same time, much more needs to be done to strengthen their recognition, so that players develop an even stronger passion and sense of pride towards their game," DCCI mentioned in its message.

List of Winners at the Divyam Cricket Awards 2025:

· Ravindra Patil (Mumbai) - Lifetime Achievement Award

· Gurudas Raut (Vidarbha) - Special Contribution Award

· Vikrant Keni (Mumbai) - Players' Choice (Popular Player)

· Rajesh Kannur (Karnataka) - DCCI Player of the Year

· Shivshankar (Karnataka) - Iconic Player Award

· Surendra Khorwal (Rajasthan) - Best Amazing Player

· Adil Nansola (Gujarat) - Rising Star of the Year

· Anwar Ali (Uttar Pradesh) - Best Junior Player

· Chandrabhan Giri (Hyderabad) - Best Coach

Special Recognition Awards:

• Mr Nitendra Singh (Baroda) - Lifetime Contribution Award (Disability Cricket & Inclusion)

• Disability Cricket Development Award: Adishwar Jain (Mumbai), Dipen Gandhi (Gujarat), Girish Shevate (Maharashtra), Uttapal Majumdar (West Bengal)

• Leadership & Motivation Award - Jaipuria Cricket Academy (Rohit Jhalani, Rajasthan)

• Grassroots Disability Cricket Development Award - Vidarbha Disabled Cricket Association

• Special Recognition (Sponsorship, Infrastructure & Awareness) - Rajesh Bhardwaj (Noida)

• Best Zonal Coordinator - Madhusudan Naik (South Zone)

• Power Play Support Award - Sanjay Singh Tomar (Madhya Pradesh)

• Best Administrator Award - Dheeraj Harde (Vidarbha)

• National Best Team - Jammu & Kashmir

• Best Association of the Year - Chhattisgarh Disabled Cricket Association