Tata Steel-ACBI National Cricket for the Blind - 2004-05 has been inaugurated at the JRD Tata Sports Complex today. Mr S K Gupta, Managing Director, TRF Limited has inaugurated the Championship.

The Championship will continue till February 07, 2005, in which eight teams viz. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Bengal and Jharkhand would be participating.

The tournament will be played on a league cum knock out basis. The eight teams have been divided into two groups. The league matches will be played between February 02 and 04, 2005 and the top two teams of each group would qualify for the semi finals, which is to be held on February 06, 2005. The final is scheduled for February 07, 2005.

The teams participating in this tournament are the winners and runners up of the Zonal tournaments, which were held earlier last season. This tournament will also identify the probable for the Indian team to play in the 3rd World Cup, scheduled to be held at the Cape-town, South Africa in the second half of 2006.

This game is played using a ball that is made of hard plastic and rattles while in motion. The game is played with great passion and skill. The bowling is underarm, the players and the umpires use audio clues and signals to help the game along. Before this tournament, on January 10 and 11, 2005, a two-day coaching camp for the players of Jharkhand was held at the JRD Sports Complex as part of the ACBI development programme that aims to promote the game in different parts of India and focuses on helping players understand the game better and enhance their playing skills.

ACBI (Association for Cricket for the Blind in India) is a voluntary organization, affiliated to the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC), has been promoting cricket for the blind in India since 1990. In 1990, Tata Steel had sponsored the inaugural National cricket tournament for the blind at New Delhi. ACBI also had organizing the first two World Cups at New Delhi in 1998 and at Chennai in 2002. George Abraham the Chairman of ACBI has been the founding Chairman of the WBCC. (1996-2004). Besides, this camp has also helped in identifying the players who will represent Jharkhand in the forthcoming Nationals.