NEW DELHI : The Restaurant Cricket League has been renamed the Rashtriya Cricket League (RCL) as the initiative expands its participation and broadens its social focus beyond sport.
The league, which aims to use cricket to bring together people from different communities, professions and backgrounds, will be held from Oct. 22-25 at the National Stadium Cricket Ground in New Delhi.
The organisers unveiled the RCL’s new logo, trophy and jerseys at a press conference, where they said the league would promote awareness around hunger, food waste and the importance of ensuring surplus food reaches people in need.
Teams will represent a wide range of groups, including transpersons, the Indian Women’s Deaf Cricket Team, journalists, farmers, chefs, students, doctors, social media influencers and employees of IndiGo Airlines, as well as participants from Nepal.
The rebranding to Rashtriya Cricket League reflects the organisers’ ambition to create a national platform that brings people together through cricket.
The event is being organised around the “Hunger Free Bharat” initiative, which seeks to encourage individuals, institutions, religious organisations, social groups, companies and communities to help reduce food waste and address hunger.
A charity match between a team representing Sanatana Gurus and a Superstars side will be one of the highlights. The Sanatan team will be led by Acharya Balkishan, while actor Rakesh Bedi will captain the Superstars.
The Superstars squad will include Vindu Dara Singh, Avtar Gill, Arun Bakshi, Raza Murad, Shahbaz Khan, Abhinav Chaturvedi, Sunil Pal and Banwari Lal Jhol, among others.
“For me, the most special part of today’s event is seeing farmers, chefs, students, friends from Nepal, influencers, actors, sportspersons, journalists and representatives from different communities standing together on one stage for Hunger Free Bharat,” said Arvind Kumar, founder of the Rashtriya Cricket League and Hunger Free Bharat.
“This is exactly the spirit with which we started this movement.”
Actor Arun Bakshi said cricket could be used to deliver a message about tackling hunger and food waste.
“People have thought of cricket in many ways but turning every run into a message for Hunger Free Bharat is a thought I had never seen before,” he said.
Avtar Gill backed the initiative’s focus on reducing food waste, while Maha Mandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi welcomed the participation of members of the transpersons community.
Priya John, principal of DPS Indirapuram, highlighted the role of students and educational institutions in promoting responsible consumption, while actor Abhinav Chaturvedi said sport and entertainment could bring people together for social causes.
Kumar also thanked former India cricketer Atul Wassan for supporting the league from its inception and helping maintain cricketing standards and professionalism.
The organisers said the RCL would seek to take the message of Hunger Free Bharat beyond the cricket field, using the sport as a platform for service, compassion and social responsibility.
