Cricket tournament to return to Troy

TROY — On Sunday, April 28, the Troy Community Center will play host to the second-annual Michigan High School Cricket Tournament.

The tournament was begun last year by Washtenaw International High School student Sarthak Subudhi. An advocate for increasing access to cricket resources in the community, he organized several local teams, including his own, to participate in the event.

“High school cricket is still new for most people. Since I am a senior going off to the University of Michigan, I want to leave a legacy for cricket at my school, Washtenaw, and the other schools,” said Subudhi. “There’s no fee to get in, everyone is invited to attend. It will take place beginning at 9:30 a.m. The final will begin at 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 28. It takes place at the Troy Community Center.”

The Troy Community Center is located at 3179 Livernois Road. The five teams competing this year include Washtenaw International High School, International Academy East in Troy, Troy High School, Plymouth Canton Educational Park, and Northville High School.

Nikhil Mudaliar is the captain of the Troy High School Cricket Club. He said he was pleased to see more cricket resources and opportunities in the community.

“The future for cricket is looking good,” said Mudaliar. “There is a cricket pitch going in at Boulan Park. It’s growing, and we want it to be a possible lifestyle for more people. Even though America has a huge population, cricket isn’t the way of life here it is elsewhere. It’s the second most viewed sport in the world. We’d like to have teams here to compete with teams in places like England or India.”

Subudhi said that matches consist of 10 overs per side and 11 players per team, and that the tournament will showcase talent, skill and sportsmanship.

“Every run scored, wicket taken and catch made will contribute to the thrilling narrative of the competition,” he said. “Two groups placed, so group A will be International Academy East, Washtenaw International High School, Northville High School in a round robin format. Group B are last year’s finalists, and they will be Plymouth Canton Educational Park, who are our defending champions, and Troy High School.”

The five teams were invited from established teams in the area.

“It is an invitational tournament. We scouted which schools have clubs that are active,” said Subudhi. “It’s more of an open invite, since there are no qualifications to participate.”

“I made my club my freshman year, in 2022, and the first tournament was last year,” added Mudaliar. “Sarthak reached out to us through Instagram. I told my friend Krish, who is at International Academy East. It grew by word of mouth. We made it into a tournament so people could experience cricket.”

Cricket, although deeply entrenched in countries like India, England, Australia and South Africa, is still in its nascent stages in the United States. Organizers and players like Subudhi and Mudaliar hope to showcase the excitement and potential of the game.

“This will be a perfect opportunity to experience what cricketers do and see how it feels to take in a match,” said Mudaliar. “It’s a whole new sport. It’s a different way of having fun, and it can improve fitness in other ways. It has less danger than a sport like football.”