Indian cricket’s new maharajas
States that received royal patronage but lost out to big cities post-Independence, are back
For cricket historians and aficionados, Vidarbha and Saurashtra playing the Ranji Trophy final this year would have been a delectable hark back to the time when the sport got succour from princely states in India. Neither Vidarbha nor Saurashtra enjoyed any great reputation as cricket powerhouses till the last few years. But before Independence, they were integral parts of the then bastions of cricket.
What’s Saurashtra today was part of Nawanagar, fiefdom of KS Ranjitsinhji, that won the country’s premier domestic tournament in its third edition (1936-37) and was runners-up the next season.
Today’s Vidarbha was part of CP and Berar, but also supplied rich cricket talent to neighbouring Holkar, which had its base in Indore, the pre-eminent side in the country along with Bombay, Maharashtra and Baroda, winning the Ranji title four times and finishing runners-up on six occasions between 1944-45 and 1954-55. The influence of Maharajas and Nawabs on Indian cricket in the first half of the 20th century was enormous and fascinating. For political reasons (in their dealings with the British) and one-upmanship among themselves, cricket became their passion as well as their playing field, as it were.
BOMBAY BASTION
The first cricket match in India was played in Calcutta in the early 18th century, but was restricted to Europeans. The first match involving Indians took place a few years later, in Bombay.
The Parsees, for reasons not dissimilar to the princes and nawabs, became active proponents of the sport, sending teams to England in the 19th century. Since they were largely residents of Bombay, and because the major tournaments then (Triangular, Quadrangular and Pentangular) were played here, Mumbai became the hub of cricket and went on to win the Ranji Trophy a whopping 41 times!
As the country’s foremost mercantile city, Bombay offered players jobs. Where the royals were a step ahead was in ensuring facilities and coaches – some of them brought down from England – to improve the stan- dards of players.
The royal houses of Patiala, Gwalior, Holkar, Baroda, Nawanagar, Bhopal, Mysore, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Pataudi, Dungarpur and even Kashmir — either for political intrigue, passion or both — were in the forefront for promoting cricket.
Some royals were keen cricketers themselves, more often with an exaggerated sense of their own abilities. The rajas of Porbandar (1932 to England) and Jamnagar (1936 to England) even manoeuvred themselves into the Indian captaincy. Given their meagre skills, they happily did not take the field, passing on the job to CK Nayudu, but still left behind a litany of shenanigans that is part of cricket lore.
ROYAL SPLURGE
The princely states pretty much called the shots in Indian cricket. For all their vested interests, provided benefit too. The Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai, original home of cricket in the country, was funded by the Maharajah of Patiala.
Holkar at one time boasted of CK Nayudu, Mushtaq Ali, CS Nayudu, Chandu Sarwate. Other players who flourished because of royal patronage include the redoubtable Vinoo Mankad and Salim Durani.
Foremost among the royals was, of course, Ranjitsinhji. His exploits (and later of his nephew Duleepsinhji) won over cricket lovers in England and fired the imagination of Indians. Unlike the Pataudis, neither Ranji nor Duleep played for India, but had put the country on the cricket map.
The extent of patronage provided by Ranji and Duleep to Indian cricket has been often debated, but not the influence they had.
In fact the Ranji Trophy, which started in 1934 by the Board Of Control For Cricket (BCCI) (formed in 1928) was originally mooted as a tournament between princely states and families!
Dwindling political clout and financial resources after India became a republic and territories were reconfigured saw the interest and participation of princely families in Indian cricket diminish. Their place was taken over by the Services, public sector undertakings and private business houses, primarily because they became the sources of livelihood for players. Many businessmen became administrators and benefactors.
NEW PATRONS
Cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Madras, Pune, Calcutta became the major cricket centres. Mumbai, the financial capital, not only retained its pole position, but went from strength to strength.
For about half a century shortly after India became a republic, the erstwhile princely states that had excelled in cricket became also rans and wannabes.
Till a turnaround started happening in the first decade of the new millennium. Since 2009-10, while Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy thrice and Karnataka twice, other winners have been less fancied Rajasthan (2011-12, 12-13), Gujarat (2016-17) and Vidarbha (2017-18, 18-19).
In this period Saurashtra have been losing finalists thrice. Clearly, the hegemony of associations that had ruled domestic cricket for several decades is being dismantled.
What’s caused this transformation? There are two major factors. Firstly, the financial clout of Indian cricket, which has grown phenomenally since the mid-1990s, has ensured that resources have been spread across the length and breadth of the country. For all its faults, the BCCI has been successful in providing world-class facilities, academies, coaches and curriculum to smaller cities and mofussil areas. This has led to a huge actualisation of cricket potential in the country from non-traditional centres.
The other big impetus has come from the Indian Premier League (IPL) that has expanded the eco-system — in terms of resources and tapping-cum-nurturing talent — to hitherto unimagined levels. For instance, Jasprit Bumrah played first for Mumbai Indians before he made his first-class debut for Gujarat. The IPL has become the stepping stone for fame and livelihood.
Almost a century after the princely states absorbed cricket and supported its growth, Kings, Royals and Knights have returned, but only as titles of IPL teams. The real royalty in Indian cricket today is the franchise owners.