This unique cricket club helps parents reconnect with their passion

Amogh Sahasrabudhe, a food technologist, founded Unbox Cricket Club to help Mumbai's parents reconnect with cricket, promoting fitness and community.

MUMBAI: Amogh Sahasrabudhe, 37, spends his weekdays immersed in food science. But come the weekend, the food technologist trades his lab coat for cricket whites and steps on to the field as an umpire. He is also the founder of Unbox Cricket Club (UCC), a community-driven initiative that’s giving Mumbai’s parents a chance to enjoy their second innings in life, one ball at a time.

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Founded in January 2023, UCC is not your typical cricket club. It’s a non-profit designed specifically for parents who’ve traded their cricket bats for laptops and strollers but still feel the pull of the pitch. “What we have observed is that people, once they start working or have kids, are so engrossed in their daily office or home routine that they lose contact with sport,” said Amogh. “We’ve also seen people getting illnesses, obesity and even heart attacks at a very young age. UCC was created to combat this.”

The seeds of the initiative were planted when Sahasrabudhe was elected as a PTA member at his son’s school. Initially, his role was limited to acting as a liaison between parents and teachers but later an idea struck him: Why not organise a cricket tournament for parents?

Sahasrabuddhe started small, with a tournament for parents of first-graders. The response was overwhelming—60 to 70 parents participated, including 20 women, sparking a demand from other parents to be included. The enthusiasm was infectious, leading Sahasrabudhe to expand the tournament, eventually forming the Unbox Cricket Club with like-minded parents who shared his passion. “I’m not an event manager,” he quipped. “I’m just doing this for the love of the game.”

The club became the perfect medium for Sahasrabuddhe to offer working parents a chance to reconnect with their love for cricket. Every Sunday, UCC members gather at a turf for box cricket matches. With an app to track scores and maintain records, UCC offers more than just a game; it’s a platform for achievement and community. Even those who can’t make it to the matches can stay updated via the app, keeping everyone connected. To keep the competitive spirit alive, UCC awards a ‘Player of the Month’ with a token of appreciation like an Amazon voucher. At the year end, the club hosts a grand final tournament based on performance statistics, complete with an auction where teams of 10 are formed and captains are chosen.

UCC isn’t just about dads reclaiming their cricketing glory. The club has seen a surge in female participation, with mothers now making up a quarter of its members. “We’ve had women who’ve never held a bat become regulars on the field,” said Sahasrabuddhe proudly. Currently, there are over 60 mothers in the club, with a male-to-female ratio of 3:1.

Why would someone with an MBA in finance and a Master’s in food product management from the UK choose umpiring? For Sahasrabuddhe, the answer is simple: cricket was a love affair he couldn’t walk away from. Umpiring for the Mumbai Cricket Association was his best bet of staying in the game. He understands that while not everyone can rely on sports to pay the bills, it plays a vital role in life. That’s why he chose to bring other parents along for the ride, offering them an escape from the corporate grind apart from relaxation and fitness.

Managing a club with over 250 members ranging from 35 to 55 years is no small feat, especially with a core team of just ten people, all balancing full-time jobs. One ongoing challenge UCC faces is securing a turf for regular matches. “Finding the right space and booking it every weekend has been tough,” Sahasrabuddhe acknowledges. “But we’re determined to keep going, and we’re exploring long-term contracts to secure our spots.”

Despite challenges and losses in the past year, UCC has prospered and is gearing up for its second season this September. Primarily based in Vile Parle, plans are now underway to expand to Thane, Chembur, and Vashi, with ambitions to branch into other sports if successful.

The response from members has been overwhelmingly positive. The club’s success is evident in the willingness of participants to contribute financially, ensuring that UCC not only breaks even but also thrives. Members have even started donating cricket gear, and local shops are pitching in by sponsoring equipment, highlighting the community’s support for this initiative.

The physical benefits are clear, with many parents reporting significant weight loss and improved fitness since joining the club. But beyond the physical, the mental and emotional benefits of re-engaging with sports cannot be overstated. As the club’s founder aptly puts it, “Sports should be a part and parcel of life.”

Whether it’s running two rounds on the field or participating in a friendly match, the simple act of playing can bring immense joy, something that UCC is successfully bringing back into the lives of Mumbai’s parents. After all, why settle for watching from the sidelines when you can hit it out of the park?