From Mumbai Streets to Global Vision
Rohit Sharma’s cricket story is legendary: a boy from Mumbai’s modest suburbs who rose to become one of the most celebrated Indian captains of his generation. Yet few know that Rohit’s ascent was also shaped by lucky accidents: a relative’s guidance, a school with a good coach, lucky access that many talented kids never get.
“We realized we ended up in good academies by mistake,” says Chetan Suryawanshi, CEO and co-founder of CricKingdom. “Rohit’s uncle happened to take him to the right place. For me, my school just happened to have a good coach. But why should it be luck? Sports should not happen by chance.”
Suryawanshi knows what it means to carve out opportunity. Born in Pune, he became a record-holding captain for the Singapore national cricket team, the first player to score a century and take a hat-trick in the same international 50-over match. With 20+ years in the game, he saw the gaps clearly: a lack of structured coaching pipelines, especially in associate nations, and talented retired South Asian players-turned coaches with few career pathways.
So in 2018, Rohit Sharma teamed up with former India U-19 player Prashant Naik, along with Sesha Sayana and Parag Dahiwal. Later, Vishal Sharma joined to oversee Indian academy operations, while Sushil Sharma took charge of overseas academy operations.
Building an Ecosystem, Not Just an Academy
From the start, CricKingdom was more than a training center. As Suryawanshi explains, “We wanted to connect coaches, good facilities, and students. We’re solving a bigger problem — families not knowing where to send their kids, and players not knowing where to find good coaching jobs.”
Their platform combines in-person coaching with a tech backbone. Through their Skonnect app, parents track progress, coaches log performance data, and academy leaders ensure curriculum consistency. The model expanded quickly: Singapore to Chennai, Indonesia, the USA, Australia, and UAE, eventually totaling 42 locations and over 8,200 students.
The academy boldly promises: “A robust technology platform that seamlessly integrates coaches, facilities, course curricula, and coaching methodologies. Transparent performance metrics. A diverse global team of experienced coaches offering personalized coaching for individuals and teams.”
Suryawanshi adds, “We want parents to know: our systems are the same across the board. The progress reports, fitness tests, goal tracking — it’s standardized, whether you’re in Mumbai or Southeast Asia.”
Expansion and issues in the UAE
While the academies in many countries experienced great success, CricKingdom’s experience in the UAE provided a case study in what can happen when engaging with the wrong partner.
In 2024, CricKingdom expanded into the UAE in partnership with Grasport Sports Academy, an India-based operator. After legal and background checks, a franchise agreement was signed on 30th July. “They had a construction background, they were running academies in India, and they had signed important venue deals,” says Suryawanshi.
Operations began in September 2024 across three GEMS Education schools: GEMS Metropole, GEMS Winchester, and GEMS New Millennium. The Grasport leads, Suhas Pudota and G P S Sai Ram Prasad, operated the facility under the CricKingdom brand.
Consistent with CrickKindom’s practices, Coaches were appointed by CricKingdom after a selection process led by Sushil Sharma. The team included respected coaching names like Tiran Sandun Wijesuriya, Sandeep Venkatraman, Francois Lombard and Chamani Seneviratne.
Within months, over 100 students had signed up, and parents were by all accounts happy with the experience.
But behind the scenes, problems brewed. Grasport delayed paying the Minimum Monthly Guarantee (MMG), coaches reported unpaid salaries, and facility payments to Events and Sports Management (ESM), the UAE venue operator, were missed.
CricKingdom granted extensions to Grasport until December. However in January 2025, due to the continued delays, termination was considered but deferred based on strong on-the-ground feedback.
“We were ready to terminate in January,” Suryawanshi says. “But parents pleaded: ‘the coaches are great, please don’t shut it down.’ So we waited. We tried to help Grasport stabilize. But by March, it was clear — they weren’t keeping their commitments.”
By early March, concerns grew around delayed coach payments. A closure notice was issued on 14th March. Grasport once again requested to have until April and made some partial payments.
However, by mid-May, the venue operator, ESM, confirmed they had received no payments and thus suspended ground access. Parents were left in limbo, filing complaints with Dubai authorities and demanding refunds.
At that point, a CricKingdom representative travelled to Dubai and began exploring direct operational options. By late May, communication with Grasport had tapered off, Grasport’s bank accounts were under investigation, and the founders had reportedly left for India.
On 28th May, one of the franchise leads publicly promised refunds and settlement by 30th June but this never materialized, and the agreement was formally terminated.
Meanwhile, CricKingdom announced its decision to operate independently from September 2025. According to Suryawanshi: “We’re now setting up a new UAE entity, hiring back coaches, and relaunching under direct CricKingdom management this September.”
In a positive sign for CricKingdom’s relaunch, as difficult as the ordeal has been for families, many have expressed their satisfaction with the underlying cricket and coaching experience. As one parent shared with cricexec:
“While I must mention that Grasport crickingdom Academy did face challenges in maintaining their operational commitments, I want to sincerely highlight the exceptional quality of coaching provided by Coach Sandeep and Coach Tiran. Their professionalism, dedication, and the effort they put into every session were truly commendable. My child thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and found them highly engaging and informative.
“A special thanks and hats off to Mr. Vineth, the Operations Manager, who went above and beyond to maintain operational efficiency despite receiving little to no support from Grasport’s higher management at various points in time. His commitment to ensuring smooth coordination and excellent customer service, alongside Coach Sandeep, significantly contributed to my child’s progress and overall experience.
“Thank you once again to the entire team( I would definitely exclude Grasport’s Suhas and Ram on irresponsibility and inability to keep their commitment) who truly made a difference on the ground.”
Lessons Learned and a Stronger Model
The UAE episode reshaped CricKingdom’s strategy. “We’ve learned: no more full franchises without joint ownership,” says Suryawanshi. “Future partners will be co-investors, with joint banking oversight and three-year commitments. We’re protecting the brand and, most importantly, the players and parents.”
Despite the UAE challenges, the broader CricKingdom network continues to thrive. With 120 coaches across locations and a centralized technology platform, the academy’s reputation for consistency, professionalism, and passion has only grown.
Beyond Cricket: A Mission of Inclusion
CricKingdom has always emphasized its broader social mission: advancing women’s cricket, supporting underprivileged players, and championing inclusivity. CricKingdom’s marketing materials read: “We actively promote women’s cricket by offering free sessions, sponsor talented students with financial challenges, and provide 50% discounts for specially-abled individuals, fostering inclusivity and skill development.”
Building the Associate Cricket Nations
In addition, for associate nations — countries like Singapore, Indonesia, the UAE, and the U.S. — CricKingdom aims to be transformative. “These countries can’t keep relying on foreign players,” Suryawanshi says. “Talent has to be produced in-country, and that starts at ages six to fifteen. We want to be the wheel driving that development.”
He’s also clear that competition in the academy space is more welcome. “We’re happy when more good academies flourish. That raises the bar for everyone and strengthens cricket everywhere.”
The Road Ahead
Looking ahead, CricKingdom is doubling down on its original mission: connecting talented players to opportunity, providing meaningful jobs for ex-players, and professionalizing grassroots cricket.
“We are building something that gives young cricketers a pathway and gives former players a purpose. We are just getting started.”
Rohit Sharma, though not involved in day-to-day operations, stays in touch regularly. Chetan Suryawanshi anchors the global leadership. Vishal Sharma and Sushil Sharma handle the India and global coaching ops respectively. Other key members of the team – Prashant Naik, Parag Dahiwal – help push the brand forward. Together, they aim to reshape what cricket academies can mean in the 21st century.
For families, players, and the cricket world, CricKingdom aspires to be more than a brand name and a star’s academy — it’s a promise: that talent will have a home, and dreams will have a path forward.
