Cricket is growing in popularity in Waterloo region, especially among women

Cricket has been growing throughout Canada in recent years, and in Waterloo region, this growth is quite tangible – especially among women and children.

"You can take Indians out of India, but not cricket out [of] them," said Priyadharshini Anandhan, captain of the Tamil Cultural Association's women's cricket club. "Wherever you see a group [from the] Indian community, you can see cricket there."

Anandhan, who loves the sport for instilling discipline in her, is one of many female cricket players in Waterloo region who is seeing the sport's growth as a win. 

Cricket's growth

Cricket in general has been growing over the years. In Toronto for example, cricket has grown so much that in 2024, the city's executive committee had to push forward plans to develop a formal cricket strategy. 

In Calgary, the demand for cricket fields has grown so much that cricket groups started setting caps on registration to ensure as many players as possible get field time.

Khrisna Bhure, captain of the Golden Triangle Marathi Mandal's men's cricket team in Waterloo region, said he's excited to see the growth of the sport he grew up playing. 

"Coming to men's cricket [around 2017-2018], I would say there were about 15 to 20 season ball clubs," he said. "Now I see more than 70 to 80 full-time teams."

Rajanikanth Ruthiran, captain of the Tamil Cultural Association men's cricket club, said he's watched cricket in Canada grow significantly since moving to the country in his 20s. Now in his 40s, it still excites him to see more people showing interest in the sport.

Ruthiran said cricket has become like a "religion" in a lot of South Asian countries. 

"It's not only in India," he said. "Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh – anywhere in the South Asian countries, cricket [has become] a very dominant sport."

More women, children picking up the bat

Bhure sees all this growth as good news, but it's the recent boost in popularity for women and children that excites him even more. 

Anandhan said she's seeing so many women – even those without previous sports experience –  picking up the bat. 

"I have two players on my team who are new moms," she said. 

"They never played any sport, but they wanted to play, so we told them to come and practice and we are practicing. We are participating in two tournaments right now and they play extremely well."

Krishna also noted how cricket is attracting younger players. He said his 11-year-old daughter has started playing cricket after watching her mom play, and Bhure describes it as being part of their culture.

"It's a transition in culture," he said.

Pallavi Bhure, Krishna's wife and the captain of Team Marathi's women's cricket team, shares her husband's insight on the growing interest among younger people.

"We come with that cricket culture, and we want to make it, you know, take it forward to our next generation." 

The Golden Triangle Marathi Mandal and the Tamil Cultural Association's cricket clubs are among the many sports teams who will be playing at the South Asian Family Sports day later this month. 

"We wait for it every year," said Khrisna, "Eight communities come together with their families and kids, and it's like a mini South Asia on the Waterloo [Park] grounds."

The event will take place on July 26 and 27 at Waterloo Park. 

Attendees will also have the chance to play other sports including volleyball, soccer and throwball. There will be activities for kids, as well as yoga and zumba.