Roma Balwani takes charge as CEO and brand custodian of Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA)

New Delhi: The governing body for deaf cricket in India, the Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) has appointed the award-winning communication specialist, Roma Balwani as its CEO & Brand Custodian effective from July 2022.

She has been at the forefront in making deaf cricket mainstream as she successfully led the first ever Deaf-ICC T20 World Cup tournament in 2018, held in Gurgaon. The event gave IDCA an edge to be globally recognized, opening new opportunities and setting benchmarks in international tournaments. 

Ms. Balwani started her leadership journey in the nineties, from 2000 onwards and in a span of over three decades she has significantly contributed to the Indian PR and communication industry in various ways during a long and successful journey with leading organisations.

She is also an Independent Director at John Cockerill, India, the leading manufacturing & engineering group specializing in cold rolling mill complexes for the Steel Industry, & chairs the CSR & NRC committees.

In IDCA she will be responsible for creating a corporate structure and establishing brand IDCA as the apex body for deaf cricket in India. 

Sumit Jain, President IDCA announcing this key appointment said, “We at IDCA are extremely delighted & overwhelmed, and welcome Ms. Balwanias our CEO & Brand Custodian. She has been a pillar of support, helped us mainstream Deaf Cricket in India & gave us the confidence to successfully host the first Deaf ICC T 20 World Cup with five nations participating, extremely grateful to the sponsors & many stakeholders she brought on board for this mega tournament. We are grateful & look forward to her immense contribution to create IDCA as a self- sustaining worthy non profit institution & help us gain recognition  worldwide for pioneering deaf cricket from India.

On her appointment Roma Balwani said, "India is in the forefront in nurturing sports & has become a sporting nation with many wins both nationally & internationally. I'm extremely honoured to be entrusted with leading this exciting new venture established in 2020 by Sumit Jain, who has a long term vision for IDCA to become a premier institution for Deaf Cricket in India. While holding the position of CEO at IDCA, my primary aim would be to nurture deaf youth to hone their cricketing skills and provide them opportunities to be coached and participate in tournaments in India and abroad. She added, I would work towards bringing in collaborations & partnership from like minded corporates & govt. & sports bodies. It gives me immense pleasure to be associated with IDCA to improve and promote deaf cricket."  

IDCA was set up on the initiative of Mr. Jay Shah, Secretary, BCCI to promote disability cricket. It is a member of the newly formed Differently-Abled Committee. It is regarded as cricket's premier specially abled association which today leads & promotes Deaf Cricket in India & globally having 30 state level associations with over 30, O00 players from various state units for domestic cricket level tournaments.

The primary aim of IDCA is to nurture deaf youth to hone their cricketing skills and give them opportunities to participate in tournaments in India & Internationally.