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The cup of life, this is the one
Now is the time, don’t ever stop
Here we go! Ale, ale, ale!
Go, go, go! Ale, ale, ale!
Ricky Martin sung these lines for FIFA France 98’. Give it to India’s supporters and they will dance to its beat with more merriment as the home team romps to victory after victory in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
A World Cup in India, one where the home team is painting the country blue, is the stuff of dreams. It’s all coming together for the organisers, the stakeholders, almost everyone – big or small in cricket.
Kiaan Parekh, 16, is living his dream. A wicket-keeper batter for his school team, he gets to accompany Dawid Malan, as a player escort, to the playing arena at the Wankhede stadium for the anthems, ahead of the England-South Africa World Cup clash. If the young mascot goes on to make a career in cricket, this experience would have gone a long way in shaping his dream. Count that as a wellness benefit of a World Cup in India.
From local trains to nukkads, airport lounges to coffee tables, conversations around the World Cup have been a running theme. How can things be any different at the academies, the temple of cricket?
“The kids are obsessed with the World Cup matches. They discuss every detail with great enthusiasm. When the biggest tournament of the sport is happening in the country, they feel a special connection,” says Ganpat Mangela, who has been running a cricket academy in suburban Juhu for more than thirty years.
Mangela says, as big tournaments pick up steam, it leads to more business. “It translates in more admissions. A lot of it is word of mouth, the parents come enquiring if they can enroll their kids.”
Mangela’s sons Shrideep and Moondeep went on to play first-class cricket for Mumbai. With cricket running in the family, the only flip side during a World Cup is endless demand for match-tickets. They politely refuse. The Mangelas are rather happy about India’s first match in Mumbai on Thursday. An India game in the city, generally brings good news in the long run.
“There has been a definite increase in bat sales in October,” says Sugat Kasare, manager, Pioneer Sports, a sports equipment store at Kalbadevi. “What has also worked is the timing of the World Cup – it has coincided with the start of the cricket season. So, people are excited to start playing with new gear.”
Kids are daring to play 360, watching Suryakumar Yadav. But when it comes to choosing bats, ‘the smart ones simply buy the one which are good for the price’ says Kasare.
With customers becoming price conscious, sellers must work hard to meet their taste. “We have tried to create a World Cup theme in our store, decorating our main glass window and the rest of the store with posters of the World Cup and Indian team stars,” says Arun Lubana, manager, Total Sports & Fitness store in Dadar. “More than the equipment, we have seen a huge rise in sale of jerseys. Especially Virat Kohli’s jersey. Kids want his name on the back and to even buy his MRF bat.”
According to estimates of economists at Bank of Baroda, the World Cup will boost the Indian economy by as much as $2.6 billion. More flights, more hotel bookings, more viewership and advertising, record stadium attendance; the big picture is well documented.
“It’s the ancillary benefits that aren’t always counted and matter to so many people working in cricket,” says Jatin Paranjape, former India player and founder, KheloMore.
Paranjape’s digital platform which helps amateurs book turfs for cricket and football has seen a 5x jump in box cricket bookings during the ongoing World Cup. “The buzz that a World Cup brings, spills over with people wanting to play themselves. Now, not everyone can play with a leather ball. Box cricket works well for school kids, gated communities, amateurs, women… just about anyone,” says Paranjpe.
“A lot of them also play tournaments. That means more business for local t-shirt manufacturers. The hyper local sports ecosystem benefits in a big way,” he opines.
For professional coaches like Pritam Shinde, box cricket has provided an additional avenue to earn some extra bucks through coaching during competitions. “Some of the players are corporate employees who were perhaps too busy studying, when they were young and did not have the time to play cricket outdoors. Now that they can afford to pay, they are happy booking turfs for play after work, at night,” says Shinde.
Suryakumar Yadav is a hit here too. Not his supla shot – there are no runs behind the stumps in box cricket – but certainly his angled blade. Yadav’s dismissal at Lucknow, caught at deep point off David Willey will be hotly debated at the next box cricket night. And as it usually pans out – the greater the chatter, the better the business.
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