Mumbai, March 22 (IANS): For the first time, the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be customised for Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing and Visually Impaired fans with a new Indian Sign Language Feed with Descriptive Commentary.
Star Sports, the official broadcaster of IPL 2024, in association with India Signing Hands (ISH News), and support from the BCCI, announced the the introduction of Indian Sign Language Feed to the league.
The feed will provide ball-by-ball updates using Indian sign language in consultation with specialists who are being brought on board by India Signing Hands.
What makes it even more special is its ability to engage with visually impaired fans with commentators describing every moment of the game along with regular verbal score updates.
Indian Deaf Cricket Team captain Virender Singh is geared up to experience IPL like never before and want to enjoy fullywith friends and family. "I watch cricket since childhood. I'm very interested, my deaf team is very interested. My deaf friends, family members all watch cricket and also play cricket. I really hope that we will enjoy IPL very much," he said.
Sanjog Gupta, Head - Sports, Disney Star, said, "Star Sports has always believed in widening access for Cricket and taking it to newer cohorts of fans. Our pioneering foray into regional coverage has reached an unparalleled scale and has defined the modern Cricket broadcast. With this initiative, we seek to address fans who’ve been deprived of the complete Cricket experience.
"The ‘language’ of commentary takes a new leap in inclusivity with the introduction of Indian Sign Language on Tata IPL 2024 for fans with impaired hearing and descriptive commentary for fans with sight impairment.”
Alok Kejriwal, Founder and CEO, India Signing Hands said, "This feed will allow millions of differently abled people like me to experience the thrill and excitement of IPL for the very first time in a language that we understand. I was born Deaf, and I always enjoyed watching cricket with my family while growing up. But the experience just wasn’t the same for me as it was for them, since I could not hear the commentary and so, I would miss a lot of nuances."
IPL 2024 commences with a clash between the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.