Santa Clara, California — When the final applause echoed through the main ballroom of the Santa Clara Marriott on Friday afternoon, one thing was clear: the inaugural Cricexec Forum had done more than close the Cricket Impact Summit & Expo 2025 — it had helped crystallize a movement.
Over three days, cricket executives, investors, innovators, and players from across the world gathered in the heart of Silicon Valley to shape the game’s next chapter. From the first keynote to the final panel, the Summit was a showcase of ambition and authenticity — a meeting ground for ideas and alliances that are redefining cricket’s global footprint.
“The Summit wasn’t about showcasing cricket as it is,” said Adam Hall, Co-Founder of the Cricket Impact Group, which hosted the event. “It was about shaping what it can be. We connected ideas, people, and purpose across three clear pillars — education, social impact, and business.”
The cricexec Forum, presented as the Summit’s capstone session, embodied that spirit of connection — with panels that confronted challenges, celebrated progress, and looked ahead to how cricket in the Americas can become not just sustainable, but transformational.
A first-of-its-kind summit for cricket’s future
The Cricket Impact Summit & Expo and the cricexec Forum was the first event of its kind in North America — a three-day convergence of global cricket leaders, media executives, investors, and fans, supported by the San Francisco Unicorns as Co-Presenting Partner.
The program was designed to move beyond talk. Across business, education, and social impact tracks, each session drilled into real-world strategies — from franchise ownership and women’s cricket to purpose-driven partnerships and digital storytelling.
The energy in Santa Clara was palpable from the outset, when Ebony Rainford-Brent MBE, the former England cricketer and now star broadcaster, set the tone for the two days that followed. Rainford-Brent’s stewardship throughout the Summit was repeatedly praised by attendees and speakers alike for her ability to blend warmth, intellect, and focus.
Her on-stage interview with Wasim Akram, the legendary “Sultan of Swing,” was one of the week’s defining moments. In a reflective and humorous conversation, Akram shared lessons from his storied career, from Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup triumph to his evolution as a Captain and subsequently commentator. He spoke candidly about discipline, leadership, and giving back — themes that resonated throughout the Summit’s conversations on growth and purpose.
Panels that moved the conversation forward
Across the two main conference days, discussions balanced optimism with pragmatism.
Breakout sessions explored everything from using cricket as a platform for social change to creative marketing for new U.S. fans. In “Corporate Partnership & Shared Value Strategy,” moderated by Zee Zaidi, Founder of Cricexec, panelists Rahul Srinivasan (Boundaries North), Liam Plunkett (Cricket Impact Group), and Ikins Clarke (Deloitte Barbados) examined how the era of logo placements is giving way to alliances built on shared purpose.
“What makes a great partnership today isn’t just exposure — it’s alignment,” Zaidi noted after the discussion. “The most meaningful collaborations are the ones that connect business goals with community impact. That’s what builds both brand equity and cricket’s long-term value.”
Sessions such as “Owning the Future: Building the Franchise Era of U.S. Cricket” with David White of the San Francisco Unicorns and Hemant Dua of the Seattle Orcas examined the business side of the sport, while “Women’s Game Rising” brought powerful voices together to discuss equity, visibility, and leadership.
Players’ perspective: living the American cricket dream
Another highlight of the Summit was the Main Stage panel “Growing Cricket’s Opportunity in the Americas: Player’s Perspective,” also moderated by Zee Zaidi. Featuring Unicorns and international stars Corey Anderson, Carmi Le Roux, and Liam Plunkett, the conversation offered a rare, personal look at what it means to build a professional cricket career in the United States. The panelists spoke candidly about adapting to new conditions, inspiring young players, and balancing ambition with responsibility as ambassadors for a growing sport. Anderson reflected on the excitement of captaining the San Francisco Unicorns in a developing league, while Le Roux emphasized the importance of coaching and mentorship in shaping the next generation. Plunkett talked about his perspective of watching American cricket’s evolution up close over almost two decades, and his efforts to help develop it now through his new venture, Liam Plunkett Cricket (LPC).
From purpose to progress: the social impact thread
Social purpose was a throughline of the Summit — from the announcement of the San Francisco Unicorns Foundation, the first charitable foundation by a U.S. franchise team, to the Cricket Impact Group’s commitment to support the U.S. Women’s Blind Cricket Team as they prepare for competition in India.
“Cricket can build confidence, open doors, and create opportunity,” Hall said. “When brands see purpose and professionalism, they believe. And belief turns into investment.”
Cricexec Forum: the crescendo
If the Summit’s first two days laid the foundation, the Cricexec Forum on Friday delivered the crescendo — a day of sharp insights, strong opinions, and forward momentum.
The Forum began with the Cricexec Innovation Challenge, a live pitch competition spotlighting startups and ideas driving cricket’s digital, commercial, and fan engagement evolution. The energy in the room was electric, with founders, investors, and league executives discussing technology’s role in accelerating cricket’s future. (A full recap of the Innovation Challenge will follow in a separate article.)
That sense of innovation flowed into the Sponsorship Panel: “Inside a Winning Partnership,” featuring Mayuri Mukherjee, VP of Marketing at LT Foods Americas, and David White, CEO of the San Francisco Unicorns. The discussion was among the Forum’s most talked-about sessions — described by attendees as “refreshingly transparent” and “full of real-world insight” into how sponsors approach cricket partnerships and measure ROI.
White spoke about the Unicorns’ emphasis on professionalism and long-term relationships, while Mukherjee offered a sponsor’s view on brand authenticity and alignment with cricket’s expanding audience base. The two of them jointly discussed their perspectives on the two season-long running partnership between the Unicorns and LT Foods’ Royal basmati rice brand.
Rebuilding the innings: confronting the hard questions
The Forum closed with its most anticipated session — “Rebuilding the Innings: The Path Forward for Cricket in America.”
Moderated by Zee Zaidi, the conversation brought together Brian Walters, Biju Nair, Anika Kolan, and Liam Plunkett for an unflinching yet hopeful look at the governance, structure, and culture of U.S. cricket.
The discussion began with an acknowledgment of the current turbulence — USA Cricket’s suspension, bankruptcy, and leadership uncertainty — and evolved into a broader exploration of what it will take to build lasting progress.
“We have not really proven ourselves capable of self-governance,” said Brian Walters, a long-time commentator and former USA Cricket Association director. “Our leaders tend to do what’s best for themselves or their factions, not for cricket as a whole. Meetings happen in secrecy. The public is left out. That has to change.”
Nair, the founder of the Bay Blazers, argued that disruption can be an opportunity. “We cannot process cricket in this country the way it’s done elsewhere. America’s structure and market are different,” he said. “We need to enable — not push — people into the system. That means professional frameworks, infrastructure, and top-down support to pull in new participants and investors.”
From the player’s perspective, Liam Plunkett emphasized leadership by example.
“It’s easy to think about the bad stuff,” he said. “But how can we flip it on its head? My goal is to be a good influence — to help build something lasting. The power of collaboration is what will drive the growth of cricket here.”For Anika Kolan, captain of the USA Women’s T20I team, the challenge is both structural and emotional. “We just want to play,” she said. “We don’t want to be dependent on funding cycles or politics. The chemistry we’ve built as a team comes from friendship and commitment — not resources. What we need now are more camps, more matches, and a real system of support.”
The panel converged on a single truth: that cricket in America cannot wait for perfect conditions to act. It must move forward through collaboration, consistency, and community.
“I think what people witnessed on that stage was honesty,” Zaidi reflected afterward. “No scripted answers, no defensiveness — just real passion and determination to rebuild this game the right way.”
A summit that delivered impact — and momentum
The Cricexec Forum didn’t just conclude the Cricket Impact Summit; it punctuated it — demonstrating what can happen when conversation turns into coordination.
For Liam Plunkett, the event marked a milestone: “I’m still pinching myself,” he said. “We took a leap of faith to host our first summit in a new market, without any prior data, and it paid off. We brought together passionate people from all corners of the globe — Canada, the UK, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Australia, and more. The key takeaway for me is the power of collaboration. We’re all working toward the same goal: growing cricket in North America.”
Hall echoed the sentiment. “Cricket in this region isn’t just growing — it’s evolving into a force,” he said. “And we’re only getting started.”
cricexec’s Zaidi summed it up:
“The Cricexec Forum – and the Cricket Impact Summit – showed what’s possible when cricket’s stakeholders sit down together — players, sponsors, owners, and fans — and speak with both honesty and ambition. You could feel the energy in the room. This wasn’t just talk — it was a turning point.”
For three days in Santa Clara, that vision became reality — and the momentum built on the stage will carry forward long after the lights dimmed.
