For a country known for its breathtaking beauty, an ultra-competitive ice hockey culture, maple syrup and politeness, an indoor cricket league is something you would not associate with Canada. In retrospect, the country is a blend of cultures and sports is one of those rare tools that unites them all. As one of the fastest growing indoor cricket leagues in Ontario, Brampton Premier League is the first of its kind and is setting its sights on achieving new heights.
In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, Mickey Malhotra, founder of BPL Canada speaks about the inspiration behind it, highlights of the league so far, supporting athletes and clubs, future of indoor cricket and his goals for the future!
Q 1) BPL Canada is one of the fastest growing indoor cricket leagues in Ontario, tell us what inspired you to come up with this league in a country where cricket isn’t that popular?
Many people are not aware that cricket here was first introduced in Canada by the British and the first ever international cricket game was played by Canada vs USA in New York in the year of 1844, which was won by Canada. BPL started with humble beginnings, in 2010 I was in Napier, New Zealand learning cricket from my coach Brendon Bracewell, who is John Bracewell’s brother, both played at the highest level for New Zealand, Brendon was my first coach who introduced me to indoor cricket. Club cricket is usually played on Saturday’s and Sunday’s are rest days. A couple of the lads were like let’s go to the indoor sports centre, it was called Action Sports. In 2016, I was training with Darren Lehmann cricket academy in Adelaide, so a couple of friends invited me to come and play for their team as they were short on players. The dream started to evolve and when at the start of the very first over of BPL on November 25th 2017, one of our express fast bowlers broke a stump into half by getting the batsman bowled, it just felt right! In our culture, we crack open a coconut to give it good luck and it was like our coconut had cracked! (Laughs)
Q 2) What was the initial response to it and what have been the highlights of the league’s journey so far?
The initial response was positive as it was for players to play in their club bio bubble during the winter months. I was playing for Mississauga Ramblers back then, within the club, 3 franchises signed up and we invited rival clubs within Toronto district cricket association to come join our magical journey to becoming one the first professional indoor cricket league in North America. I think in terms of the commercial aspect our highlight would be, Nando’s Chicken coming on as a title sponsor elevated our status in sponsorships for our 3rd year.
Q 3) Tell us more about the teams in the league and what are the preparations involved ahead of every season?
Our BPL Canada motto is Uniting Communities Together, Canada is a very multicultural country and we want to create a family environment among our players and franchise owners as BPL welcomes all nationalities and genders. Our role in the community has increased over the years, when politician’s MP Iqra Khalid and MPP Kaleed Rasheed have given us the support by either playing or supporting at our events. We feel honoured and blessed to create a professional indoor cricket league with 19 indoor cricket league franchises. BPL has 12 men, 4 juniors and 3 women franchises. Our next league will be held next winter of 2021/2022 season with 12 franchises, 9 men’s franchises and 3 women’s franchises competing for the BPL championship in their respective division.
Q 4) You are the Founder & CEO of Royal Sponsorships, tell us about the work being done by your organization in supporting athletes and sports clubs?
Royal Sponsorships was found out of a problem, most of the finest start-ups in the world are trying to fix a problem. The problem is that not enough companies are aware of sponsorship opportunities they can create in the sport of cricket, especially in Canada. Also, we figured players should be benefited monetarily along with the clubs, Royal Sponsorships was born out of a necessity to provide sponsorships to cricket clubs, cricket leagues, cricket players anywhere in the world through working closely with local businesses.
Q 5) What do you think is the future of indoor cricket and in your opinion, can it be as competitive as the outdoor one?
Future of indoor cricket in Canada is very bright! BPL Canada will be competing in international indoor cricket tournaments in the future, BPL will create a platform for quality athletes to join our forces and make a name for their country and themselves! For us, country will always be our number 1 priority, we want to take Canada to the international map for indoor cricket.
Q 6) What are your goals and aspirations with BPL Canada for the future and how do you plan to achieve them?
BPL Canada’s goals and aspirations are simple, to create a platform for Canadian and International cricket players to excel in the sport. Our focus is strengthening grassroots cricket and organizing cricket tours to various countries to improve the standard of our players.
