27 JAN 2025 8:42PM by PIB Delhi
Today in Bangalore, former Indian Cricketing legend, Mr G R Viswanath & Sri Madhusudan Sai announced & unveiled the 2025 One World One Family Cup. The cup is engraved with the message – vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam – the World is one Family.
The residential cricket academy for boys on the campus will be named after the legendary cricketers & the selection criteria will be purely on merit and will be free of charge for deserving candidates.
Renowned retired international cricket players will be playing for ‘One World One Family Cup’ at the Sai Krishnan Cricket Stadium, Muddenahalli on 8th Feb, 2025. .
Sri Madhusudan Sai, who has dedicated his life for the service of humanity is the Founder of this mission and is a young humanitarian leading from the front on multiple causes, primarily for the rural audience across the country. The aim is to make Education, health & nutrition easily accessible to the children & elderly of Rural India.
OWOF is a humanitarian cause that is bringing together retired cricket players of India & Srilanka to ‘re-tire’ themselves on the cricket pitch at a village in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka.
Sri Madhusudan Sai Global Humanitarian Mission has created records with many firsts, and has attracted the attention & presence of national and global leaders including the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the President, Mrs Droupadi Murmu.
The mission has spread its presence to 80 countries in the last 12 years. It has provided for the needs of children, women, men and the elderly in the fields of Nutrition, Education, and Healthcare by establishing institutes of excellence, and commissioning programmes and high-quality services that are completely free of charge.
In Jan 2024, when the first edition of the One World One Family Cup was played, the two sides were captained by cricketing greats – Little Master Sachin Tendulkar and All-rounder Yuvraj Singh with teams comprising of a mix of players from seven nations.
This year, in a different format, Indian and Sri Lankan retired greats are coming back to the field to play for the cause of humanity.
Legends like Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Venkatesh Prasad from India, and Ajanta Mendis, Chaminda Vaas from Sri Lanka are reuniting again to play for unity, solidarity, and shared responsibility.
Speaking about this unique cricket event, Mr G R Viswanath, Former Indian Cricketer, said – “Cricket taught me that true greatness lies not in the runs we score, but in the lives we touch. During my sporting days, we played for the pride of our nation. Today, we play for the pride of humanity. The One World One Family Cup is a collective victory—this victory doesn’t just belong to a team, a country or a continent, but it belongs to the whole of humanity. The cricketing fraternity will come together to lift the One World One Family Cup to dedicate it to every child & every individual who will find relief and solace through the Sri Madhusudan Sai Global Humanitarian Mission.”
Sri Madhusudan Sai, the Founder, remarked: “The buzz of cricket is translating into a cause for humanity through the One World One Family Cup 2025. This is a game that will be played by renowned cricketers from India and Sri Lanka, not for their countries, but for the whole of humanity. This time, the game of cricket will declare the message of unity, compassion and concern, collective responsibility and camaraderie, beyond the borders. It is time we blur the borders and merge into one sea of humanity, where each one’s welfare matters to every other person.”
Venue and Date of the Match: 08 February 2025, Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli, Chikkaballapur district, Karnataka (30 minutes from the Bengaluru International Airport)
