30 July 2022 will be a day etched in the history of cricket in the country as 1500+ fans thronged to attend the inaugural Philly Summer Cricket Festival 2022 hosted by The Philadelphians Cricket franchise in association with Minor League Cricket at the Exton Park playing fields in Exton, PA. The festival will go on record as one of the highest attended professional domestic cricket events in the country in recent memory.

Minor League Cricket, launched in 2021, is the nation’s largest and official professional T20 cricket league featuring 26 teams from across the country. The Philadelphia region is represented by “The Philadelphians Cricket” franchise with the team’s home base set at Exton Park Playing fields, PA.

Encouraged by strong pre-event registration, the organizing team ensured no stone was left unturned in terms of making sure the stage was set to put up a high-quality display of professional T20 games coupled with loads of fun activities off the field. On offer were 2 action-packed professional Minor League Cricket T20 matches featuring the cream of international and domestic talent represented by teams from Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey and Washington DC, all of whom put on high voltage performances on the field.

Pic : Marquee player and Mentor Liam Plunkett giving cricket 101 lessons to kids alongwith Philadelphians head coach Aravind Raghavan

The day began with a free cricket clinic hosted by the franchise involving kids between ages 6 and 15 learning about the sport from England World Cup winning superstar, Liam Plunkett and renowned international cricket coach who’s also the Philadelphians’ head coach, Aravind Raghavan. Adding to the zing off the field was a special concessions area featuring booths from the sponsors of the league as well as the Philadelphians cricket franchise and multiple options for food & beverages from local vendors. Minor League Cricket’s title sponsor Toyota brought along a swanky looking 2022 Toyota Tundra Pickup for display coupled with a captivating virtual reality cricket game that became an instant fan favorite. The Philadelphians’ principal sponsor PARX Casino added to the flavor by offering free gaming coupons and a standout golf cart drive around the field treating fans to some free official Philadelphians merchandise. The Chester County’s tourism bureau presented fans and VIP guests with welcome goodies while local sponsors like realtor Maharshi Patel brought in special fan offers for the event. At the Philly Cricket booth, fans got to buy some cool franchise merchandise as well as to meet their favorite cricket stars including former England world cup winning superstar, Liam Plunkett, and Milind Kumar, former IPL star and the Philadelphians’ captain for pictures and autographs.

Pic : Cricket bats from the 19th and early 20th century including the personal cricket bat of global cricketing legend Sir Donald Bradman.

The history of cricket in Philadelphia is much celebrated given the presence of the sport in the region since the 18th century and the dominance of teams from the city in the 19th and 20th centuries. This was well represented by a special booth set up by the CC Morris Cricket Library which runs the oldest cricket museum in the western hemisphere featuring rare artifacts including the personal cricket bat of global cricketing legend Sir Donald Bradman as well as personal gear of the greatest cricketer of America, John “Bart” King. The fans got an opportunity to get up and close with these special memorabilia as well as learning about the deep-rooted history of cricket in America and more specifically around Philadelphia.

Pic : Fans enjoying cricket action at the Philly Summer Cricket Festival

More than 50% of the attendees had their very first live encounter with a professional cricket match and the excitement was palpable. Fans could be seen teaching and learning about the sport with the DJ/Announcer dishing out game details coupled with peppy tunes to keep the audience engaged and rolling.

The franchise’s volunteer group was led by enthusiastic high school kids representing nonprofit organizations like "Sewa International" and "Asha Jyothi” that focus on personality development of the youth and in shaping up future leaders. Attendees were well impressed by the cheerful greetings from our young volunteers whose primary goal was to ensure a smooth operational flow throughout the day.

Pic : The Philadelphians celebrating fall of a wicket at the Philly Summer Cricket Festival 2022

The cricket action did not disappoint the fans as the afternoon game between the Philadelphians and New Jersey Stallions went down the wire till the very last ball rounding up what will remain as a memorable day and a huge step forward in terms of reloading the beautiful sport of cricket in and around Philadelphia.

Cricket definitely was welcomed with open arms by the sports loving fanbase of Philadelphia at the beautiful Exton Park.

Quotes:

“At Major League Cricket, we aim to bring cricket to the wider American audience and community events like the Philly Summer Cricket Festival act as an important catalyst in that direction. It is great to see so many fans come out to enjoy a day of Minor League Cricket games while learning about the sport and its history.”, says Sameer Mehta, co-founder, Major League Cricket.

“The Philadelphians Cricket franchise takes a lot of pride in the rich history of the sport in the city of Philadelphia. It is our primary goal to bring Cricket back to its old glory and the success of the Philly Summer Cricket Festival definitely offers a glimpse of a Philly sports fan’s appetite towards well packaged sporting events. We aim to make this a regular feature in the region’s Summer calendar and treat our fans to more cricket-based entertainment.”, says Murali Kailashnath, founding partner, The Philadelphians Cricket LLC.

“It was like a dream come to life to watch a professional cricket game in our township with a festival like atmosphere supported by the largest crowd for any league game in the country. The Philadelphians cricket franchise really put up a great event for fans in the region to enjoy.”, says Rajesh Kumbhardare, Chair of the Board of Supervisors, West Whiteland Township, PA.

“It was an honor to be asked to attend my first cricket match on July 30th at Exton Park, I greatly enjoyed the match and it is clear that cricket in Exton Park is a sport on the rise.”, says Sean Kilkenny, Montgomery County Sheriff, PA.