Fans resorting to watching the North zone vs East zone, Duleep Trophy match from outside through barbed wires at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on August 30, 2025.
| Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J
The popularity of cricket is both a boon and a bane. Boon because it has brought laurels to the country, played a big part in creating a sporting culture and generated employment by the truckloads. Bane, for it takes for granted the very fans whose interest has nurtured the sport.
The 2025-26 Duleep Trophy, which began on Thursday at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence near here, is a classic example of the latter. Neither was the domestic cricket season-opener broadcast on television, nor were supporters allowed to watch some of India’s best cricketers live. A handful who landed at the venue had to stand tall and glance through the barbed wire fence.
This is the latest example of a disturbing new trend of making many domestic matches lifeless, closed-door affairs. Last season, when a dozen people arrived at the Alur Grounds here to catch a glimpse of India cricketer Sanju Samson playing for Kerala against Karnataka, they were turned away.
Fans, who had come to watch India cricketer Sanju Samson in action for Kerala against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy at the Alur Grounds near Bengaluru in October 2024, are stopped by security guards.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: N. SUDARSHAN
The reason provided, in hushed tones of course, is that allowing fans where there are no designated stands is a security risk. But surely a rich sport like cricket has the wherewithal to make adequate arrangements and not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Palash Chauhan, a software engineer, was eager to take his 10-year-old son to watch the Duleep Trophy during the weekend, but was left disappointed.
“My son wants to be a cricketer and watching live matches is important for his development. But not just international games, even domestic cricket is now out of bounds,” he told The Hindu. “Children also spend too much time in front of screens. If I cannot take them for live matches or to play, is it good?”
The authorities’ indifference seemingly extends to international cricket as well — ticket sales for the Women’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka beginning on September 30 are yet to commence.
In 2023, an India-Australia Test at Dharamshala was moved at the last minute, leading to a logistical nightmare. Cricket is a model sport in India in many ways. Shouldn’t it be doing better fan engagement?
Published – August 31, 2025 08:12 pm IST
