It’s a fast-paced sport that looks similar to baseball. Cricket is growing here in the U.S. especially in the Indian community. The spotlight will be even brighter when it returns to the Olympics in 2028.
At a baseball field at a Southington park, a different bat and ball sport is being played.
These group of players are playing some pickup cricket. It’s something Shil Patel and his friends do periodically.
“We all play here, and we all decided to make something, form something that can be a cricket club in the future,” he said.
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A future that looks bright for the sport making its Olympic return at the 2028 Los Angeles games. It’s something Patel is looking forward to watching. He says after moving from India in 2011, he’s seen interest grow in the sport here in the U.S.
“I’ve been seeing so many tournaments coming up and I noticed in Connecticut, I see eight big tournaments right now,” he said.
This is buoyed by the success of the U.S. cricket team in this year’s T-20 World Cup, where they played a close match with India and scored a huge upset over Pakistan, both cricket powerhouses.
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“From that time, you know after we won that match, the cricket game has exploded in popularity,” Patel said.
Cricket was previously in the Olympics in 1900, with only two teams playing: Great Britain beating France for the gold. More teams are expected to compete including the U.S. as hosts. Patel says it’ll a dream come true to see cricket being played for Olympic medals.
“It’s going to be amazing to see how the US performs in the Olympics here in the ground,” he said.
