International matches in non-metros - a just inclusivity of cricket-hungry fans across India

April 2015. You are watching the biggest cricketing extravaganza - the Indian Premier League (IPL) - on your television sets. Your favorite stars are in action and the contest has ebbed and flowed and continues to do so. It can’t get more tantalizing, can it?

In the middle of the live broadcast, an announcement regarding the next ‘fan park’ is made. It’s headed to Nadiad. It will be staged in Tirunelveli. And there’s one in Mysore too. You have a furrowed brow and wonder what this is about. The very thought is fascinating.

Diving further into it, we realize what a fine initiative it is. Most tier-two regions do not have access to the venue directly and that is an unparalleled experience for cricket fans. We realize it brings as many people together as possible to experience something close to it. It puts a smile on our faces every weekend when we see kids thronging to the concerned venue and having the time of their lives.

Satisfying the multiple stakeholders of the sport is no mean task and it's no different in cricket. From investors, sponsors and broadcasters, to the players and personnel directly involved with the game, meeting their requirements is as big a challenge as it gets.

The most important stakeholders here, though, happen to be the fans. There are no two ways about this. As conjecture goes, it is the fans who make or break the sport and make it the beautiful spectacle that it is. There is enough evidence to back the same and you don't need to dig deep to see why.

You look around and you find a cricket expert. This isn't a dig, mind you, but just a reiteration of how fans take to the sport in a manner that forces you to find an alternative to the word 'passion'. They love and breathe this sport. They follow the success and failures of their favorite players and teams as if they're on the park themselves. And they are, from a commercial point of view, a major source of revenue as they flock to the stadiums.

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Cricket - a fan-centric sport in many ways

When it comes to India in particular, we are talking about a land of over 1.4 billion people. Cricket traverses the vast length and breadth of land that is the seventh-largest in the world in terms of geographical dimension. Reduce this further to Test cricket nations and it’s the second-largest according to this metric. It's huge! It's hard not to see kids flocking to the streets and turning them into cricket pitches of their own.

Automatically, this puts into perspective a number of geographical regions that aren't usually traversed on a regular basis. They don't boast of an IPL team and international matches weren't a regular feature either at any of these venues at one point. But over time, a revolution in the way the sport is seen and an influx of greater funds has turned this around.

Today, there are venues in Ranchi, Rajkot and Guwahati that the world is familiar with. International fixtures are no longer a rarity in non-metropolitan cities such as these and it shouldn't surprise anyone that the stadiums are packed to the rafters. This is a sport that is dear to folks and watching their favorite heroes in action is a treat for sore eyes.

Mind you, one must credit the BCCI for doing their bit in this regard with the state associations coming into the picture in equal proportion. Lush green outfields are a feature of the venues set up in Natham (Dindigul), Shivamogga and Lahli. Natham has played host to day-night fixtures in the Duleep Trophy while the grounds at Wayanad and Hubballi aren't averse to seeing India A ply their trade either.

The most common factor among these venues? The fans, of course. Packed houses are the norm in India. And you'd expect it to stay on the rise, especially after a grave pandemic has starved the fans of watching their beloved stars from close quarters.

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The impact of the players themselves

It takes one individual to spark a revolution. Cricket in India has been blessed with many such individuals. Sticking to tier-two towns alone, there are examples aplenty.

You think of Tonk and Khaleel Ahmed's swift rise that springs to mind. Much the same with T Natarajan, whose journey from humble beginnings in Chinnappampatti to one of the unlikely heroes of the historic Gabba Test of 2021 will be etched in cricketing folklore.

T Natarajan's story - one that induces belief!

Moga is known as the land of Harmanpreet Kaur and in an era where women's cricket is seeing its popularity reach new heights, her legacy is bound to prove instrumental in time to come.

Amidst them all, of course, one cannot ignore the MS Dhoni factor. Having put Ranchi on the global map, his cult superstardom has certainly influenced a number of budding youngsters from small-tier cities to believe in their dreams. And there's no denying how big that word is. Belief. It fuels hope and turns dreams into reality.

But how does this influence the cricket-hungry fans of these regions? The answer is simple - the aforementioned players are the poster boys and girls to set a trend for the next crop to step forth. And in turn, there's a huge market there to tap into. Not just as far as ensuring they flock to the stadiums, but also with regards to the future of the sport in the country.

This sport is fan-centric in so many ways. As mentioned earlier, they make or break it. After all, they outnumber every other stakeholder by a considerable margin and contribute towards making it the spectacle that it is. And it's only fair that the sport is taken to them in return.

By traversing the non-metropolitan regions of the country, a massive chunk of the cricket-following population has come in close proximity to the sport at the highest level. Their inclusivity is paramount to the growth of this wonderful game and in ensuring that these young boys and girls become the torch-bearers of the same in due course of time.

One might argue that this is the least that ought to be done. But it is commendable. And sky's the ceiling in terms of more international cricket centers in India joining the existing list.