Sign language feed at T20 World Cup: All India matches to have special Indian sign language commentary

The 2024 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup is set to kick off in a couple of weeks with the United States and the West Indies hosting the prestigious tournament. 

Official broadcasting partners, Disney Hotstar and Star Sports Network made a special announcement recently, stating that the hearing and visually impaired fans can also look forward to the World Cup introducing the availability of Indian Sign Language (ISL) commentary for the event. 

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The announcement was made on the occasion of the Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) which is being celebrated on Thursday, May 16 this year. The broadcasting partners will be providing an audio descriptive feed along with the ISL feed on Disney+ Hotstar and the Star Sports Network. 

The special commentary will be available for 10 matches including all the India games, semi-finals and finals of the tournament. 

Anurag Thakur appreciates the move

Honourable Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports of the Government of India, Anurag Thakur appreciated and welcomed the initiative by the broadcasting partners as well in a recent interview. He stated, 

I commend Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar for introducing Indian Sign Language and Audio Descriptive commentary during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The Government of India is committed to creating an inclusive society and I strongly believe that this initiative will enhance the viewing experience for millions of differently abled sports enthusiasts.

Head of Disney+ Hotstar India, Sajith Sivandhan also expressed his excitement and thrill on the initiative stating that, 

We are thrilled to embrace accessibility features making the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup available to more fans of the sport. This underscores our commitment to promote inclusivity and serve all users. With these enhancements, we aim to ensure that the excitement of cricket knows no bounds.

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India’s schedule for the World Cup 

India will be kick-starting their World T20 campaign, taking on the Irish team in their first group game on June 5 in New York. Here’s the complete schedule for the Indian contingent that travels to the USA and the United States. 

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Indian squad for the World Cup:

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj

Reserves: Shubhman Gill, Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed