The reputation of cricket is each a boon and a bane. Boon as a result of it has introduced laurels to the nation, performed a giant half in making a sporting tradition and generated employment by the truckloads. Bane, for it takes without any consideration the very fans whose curiosity has nurtured the sport.
The 2025-26 Duleep Trophy, which started on Thursday at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence close to right here, is a basic instance of the latter. Neither was the home cricket season-opener broadcast on tv, nor had been supporters allowed to look at some of India’s finest cricketers dwell. A handful who landed at the venue needed to stand tall and look by means of the barbed wire fence.
This is the newest instance of a disturbing new development of making many home matches lifeless, closed-door affairs. Last season, when a dozen individuals arrived at the Alur Grounds right here to catch a glimpse of India cricketer Sanju Samson taking part in for Kerala in opposition to Karnataka, they had been turned away.
Fans, who had come to look at India cricketer Sanju Samson in motion for Kerala in opposition to Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy at the Alur Grounds close to Bengaluru in October 2024, are stopped by safety guards.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: N. SUDARSHAN
The motive supplied, in hushed tones of course, is that permitting fans the place there are not any designated stands is a safety danger. But certainly a wealthy sport like cricket has the wherewithal to make enough preparations and never throw the child out with the bathwater.
Palash Chauhan, a software program engineer, was desperate to take his 10-year-old son to look at the Duleep Trophy throughout the weekend, however was left disillusioned.
“My son wants to be a cricketer and watching live matches is important for his development. But not just international games, even domestic cricket is now out of bounds,” he informed The Hindu. “Children also spend too much time in front of screens. If I cannot take them for live matches or to play, is it good?”
The authorities’ indifference seemingly extends to worldwide cricket as nicely — ticket gross sales for the Women’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka starting on September 30 are but to begin.
In 2023, an India-Australia Test at Dharamshala was moved at the final minute, resulting in a logistical nightmare. Cricket is a mannequin sport in India in some ways. Shouldn’t it’s doing higher fan engagement?
