The Cricket League provides a family on another continent for Indians in St. Louis

What started as a weekend pastime with a few office buddies 24 years ago has grown into the St. Louis Cricket League, with about 40 teams playing at cricket fields and parks across the region. Most of the players are Indian software developers and data scientists who moved to St. Louis to study and stayed there.

We are much more than friends, said Jayanth Naramsetty, an all rounder who plays all fields for Victory Boys. The league creates a family on another continent.

Ranjeet Singh started the recreational St. Louis Cricket League 20 years ago and has been involved in the St. Louis cricket scene ever since. He said it started small, with only about four teams and about 12 players per team. The summer season, which is one of two seasons, started in June and lasts until October.

We wanted to continue playing the sport we knew,” Singh said. Now it has grown more than we thought.

The players speak a few languages ​​in common, Hindi and Telugu, which only brings them closer in the foreign territory that has now become their home. Singh said whenever a team member has a party or any other Indian celebration for Holi or Diwali, the entire league and their families are invited to celebrate.

There are many people in India who didn’t know each other, but because of cricket they came together, Singh said.

Population of India is the largest group of foreign-born citizens in the St. Louis areaAccording to a 2020 study by St. Louis University. St. Louis County is home to nearly 33,000 Indians as of 2021. US Census Bureau.

Not too far from the Hazelwood Sports Complex, where the St. Louis Cricket League plays matches, the St. Charles-based American Cricket Academy, a non-profit Indian organization.

The leagues that compete here play in traditional all-white jerseys with red leather balls, and the next generation of players, including many Native Americans, learn the sport. The Academy is recognized by the International Cricket Council and USA Cricket.

Singh’s daughter Ritu Singh started her cricket career in the men’s leisure league started by her father all those years ago. At the age of 9, he beat his father with his friends and quickly took up the sport, his father said. Ritu said she owes a lot of her skills to the grown men in the league, who didn’t hold their own when competing against her as a child.

They were never like you shouldn’t be here, he said. They encouraged me even when I did bad things.

Ritu Singh is now playing for the US national cricket team and will represent the team in the 2023 World Cup.

Anurag Kumar has played cricket in eighth grade in India. He was the team captain of his cricket team during his undergraduate studies. Now, Kumar said, as he’s grown up and taken on more responsibility, he’s felt the ties to his youth fade as he approaches his 30s.

When you are on the field, you just leave everything behind and just be a kid who has loved cricket forever,” Kumar said. And you just play your heart out.

Kumar said the league brings together Native Americans from all corners of the St. Louis area and creates lasting friendships that transcend the physical location of home. He said the basics and cricket give them a sense of home. It’s more than what he promised when he started.

Cricket makes me feel very happy, he said. It keeps me connected to my old self.