NCR farmers reap gold with cricket

Hidden amidst the glass skyscrapers and chaos of Delhi NCR are tiny pockets of peace and sheer ingenuity. While most tech startups are burning investor money in glitzy offices trying to break even, a handful of farmers in this dry region are scripting a brilliant home run by turning their agricultural land into high-quality cricket grounds.

At first glance, anybody might mistake these grounds for their distant cousins in the quaint counties of UK. Several are professionally managed and come equipped with showers, canteens and floodlights, the basic requirements of any weekend warrior in his 40s, who burns data on his phone watching Joe Root play cover drives.

Take, for instance, Ayush Sohni. He leafs through cases at a reputed law firm in the capital during the week and spends his weekend playing Twenty-20 matches on the outskirts of Gurgaon.

And like Sohni, thousands of well-heeled professionals from all walks of life converge on these grounds on weekends to get a break from their sedentary lives and pursue their love of the game.

“Earlier, we played mostly in Delhi, but over the last two years many people have started coming to Gurgaon to play as there are plenty of grounds here,” said Sohni. “Getting preferred slots is easier too.”

A single such ground can host three matches per day, and five if it boasts floodlights. A match can cost between Rs 3,500 and Rs 7,000 for a team. Day-night games are costlier and the asking price for a match could be double that amount. This amount covers the cost of balls and fees of umpires. However, one has to pay for everything else, be it a bowl of Maggi, a bottle of Gatorade or cigarettes.

Once wheat farmers, now cricket ‘lords’
One such area, which is crowded with cricket grounds is Baliyawas on the Gurgaon-Faridabad road. These were earlier mustard and wheat farms. But profit was hard to come by, as labour and other costs heavily outweighed the returns.

Sarjoj is a landlord in Baliyawas and owns several grounds. Talking about his decision to move away from farming and lease out his land for cricket, he said, “The land here isn’t very fertile and the output wasn’t much. Then a few years ago, some ex-cricketers approached us with the idea of turning land into grounds and that is how the trend started.”

Currently, most grounds have turned into well-oiled ecosystems that support the village folk. Groundsmen, umpires, cooks and professional players-on-rent have found access to steady income, as matches and tournaments are played around the year.

“We have to train for seven to eight months before we can get a job as an umpire,” said 20-year-old college student Rakesh Harshana, who umpires in corporate matches over the weekend. “We go online and watch YouTube, Google and highlights of old matches to enhance our understanding of umpiring.”

"NCR has some good cricket grounds that have come up in the last few years. I hope similar ones come up in other cities," says Binwant Sehgal, an email, who works in sportswear giant Puma’s marketing department in Bengaluru.

According to Sachin Khurana, proprietor of Turf Sports Management and one of the most experienced match organisers in the business, Baliyawas and Kadarpur have around 40 cricket grounds. “There are many such belts, including Noida Extension and parts of Gurgaon,” he said.

Apart from four to five cricket grounds in the capital, he manages two grounds in Baliyawas, which go by the name Turf Greens. “It’s not easy earning from a cricket ground. The monthly maintenance cost comes up to Rs 50,000, excluding rent to the landlord. Even laying the wicket for the first time can cost around Rs 1 lakh and it has to be done by a professional,” he said.

“The demand for good cricket grounds has increased over the years,” Khurana said. “There are many people, including several ex-cricketers, who think taking a ground on lease and making a quick buck is easy. It’s not because you cannot just depend on one ground to earn. We also run cricket academies and host international cricket tours.”

Groundsmen, umpires, cooks and professional players-on-rent have found access to steady income, as matches and tournaments are played around the year.