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The seeds of a private tennis ball cricket league was sowed during a talent hunt in Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, in 2021.
Enthused by the talent on display, some eminent stakeholders of the game decided that the dwellers should be given an opportunity to play club cricket in Mumbai.
Amol Kale, president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), conceptualised a plan to take these cricketers from the street to the stadium, reported Forbes India.
The result is the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL), a 10-over tennis ball tournament, that started on March 6.
“The idea for the league came about when we took the Dharavi boys into the mainstream. We decided to have a professional format for tennis ball cricket so that these players get an opportunity to play in stadiums as well as earn something out of it. The idea is to change the socio-economic structure of cricket,” said Kale.
A first-of-its-kind initiative, the ISPL has six teams – Majhi Mumbai, Bangalore Strikers, Srinagar Ke Veer, Chennai Singhams, Falcon Risers Hyderabad and Tigers of Kolkata.
Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and Board of Control for Cricket in India treasurer Ashish Shelar are core committee members along with Kale, while former India all-rounder and coach Ravi Shastri serves as a mentor.
Adding to the ISPL’s glam quotient are actors Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor who are co-owners of the teams.
ISPL commissioner and MCA apex council member Suraj Samat told Forbes India: “There was a lot of fire in those children. But we realised there’s no opportunity for them if they do not cross the barrier and reach the mainstream. Amol Kale then decided that we should do something for their upliftment and find talent from the grassroots.”
Kale discussed his plan with Shelar and Tendulkar, who were both excited and worked together to turn the idea into reality.
“There is immense talent out there… cricketers who have the aspiration to make it big and play for the country,” said Shelar, who played tennis ball cricket for his college and for his bar when he was practising law.
“However, not everyone is lucky enough to get the right guidance and platform to realise their dreams.
“These players have been displaying their cricketing skills on the streets. We thought, why can’t we build an ecosystem, help them hone their skills and get them to earn more. We want them to get recognition, fame and money.”
More than 200,000 players from across India applied to play in the tournament. There were only 96 player slots. Former India cricketers Pravin Amre and Jatin Paranjpe selected the players.
The bids for the six teams started at Rs10 lakh ($16,000) and ended at Rs1,165 crore ($200 million).
“We liked the concept of street to stadium, and went ahead with it. It’s a good way of promoting players and giving them a platform to earn name and fame,” said co-owner of Majhi Mumbai Neeti Agrawal. “We are committed to the ISPL for 10 years and want to be associated with it all our life.”
Saif, whose father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was a legendary India captain, said: “This is a wonderful initiative. It is a great thing for cricket too. The beginning of cricket for everyone is with a tennis ball.”
Sony Pictures Networks bagged exclusive rights for the inaugural season of the 18-match tournament that is being played at the Dadoji Kondadev Stadium in Thane, with the final scheduled for March 15.
It’s difficult for a private sporting league to make money in the initial years, but Kale said they are not thinking along those lines.
“Profit is not the motive,” he said. “More than the financial model, the aim is to give maximum people an opportunity to play in stadiums.”
Indo-Asian News Service
“More than the financial model, the aim is to give maximum people an opportunity to play in stadiums.”
