The Dream11-Dilip Vengsarkar Academy conducted the season-ending U-14 Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) trials competition known as the Dream11 Cup yesterday i.e. May 26 at the Oval Maidan in Mumbai.
Former Indian cricketing legend and a member of the 1983 World Cup winning squad, Dilip Vengsarkar alongside Harsh Jain, the CEO and Co-Founder of Dream Sports, and MCA representatives were among those present at the ceremony.
In addition to the aforementioned names, Yashasvi Jaiswal, an emerging talent who plays for the Indian Premier League‘s (IPL) Rajasthan Royals (RR), was also present. Soon after the event, the southpaw batter chatted with the kids about cricket.
In collaboration with the Dilip Vengsarkar Foundation, Dream Sports’ charitable arm, Dream Foundation (DF), supports aspiring cricketers and raises awareness of the game among amateur players. The Dilip Vengsarkar Foundation seeks outstanding young players from low-income families and admits them to the academy solely on the basis of merit. It has produced many successful cricketers, such as current IPL stars Suryakumar Yadav and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Post the award ceremony, SportsMint Media got an opportunity of speaking to the Indian legend Mr Dilip Vengsarkar. During that essential interaction, he discussed the significance of receiving assistance from such a large firm, as well as how the foundation supports athletes in nurturing their future.
- How important is it to receive backing from such a big company for the academy?
See, it’s very important because we select the kids on merit, and it’s free of charge, we don’t charge them money. We have backing from Dream Sports now and it definitely helps because they pay all the expenses which I can’t afford. So I have to seek CSR funding from top corporates and that helps because a lot of players come from humble backgrounds to showcase their talent. And it is going on for the last 28 years, you know, and thousands of them have played for Mumbai, Maharashtra, India A or under 19 and more.
- You had three phases as a player as a coach, and as a founder of such a foundation; how would you describe all your three phases?
Well, as a player it is history now and then I want to give something back to the game and so this is how I started here. I have got four cricket academies. A lot of players here come from Pune, Chembur, Panvel and other facilities and play for Mumbai and make it big. So I’m very happy about it, to be honest with you. And then Dream Sports has been absolutely fantastic for me. Ageas Federal has been doing in Mahul, you know, and Veroc Industry in Pune. So, at the moment we have three different sponsors for three different academies. I’m looking for the fourth one in Panvel (smiles).