UTCA chief Sanjay Tandon has transformed Chandigarh streets into cricket nurseries with a unique gully cricket tournament, promoting anti-drug campaigns and nurturing local talent.
CHANDIGARH: In a one-of-its-kind initiative in the country, Chandigarh has turned its streets into cricket nurseries through a gully cricket tournament. This unique event, which has the slogan “Balla Ghumaao, Nasha Bhagaao,” is aimed at strengthening the Nasha Mukt Abhiyan (Drug-Free Campaign), and is also building a robust talent pool for Chandigarh’s cricket teams. Seven players from last year’s edition earned spots on the Under-19 Chandigarh team, with one progressing to a BCCI tournament.
The tournament, now in its second edition, is played with tennis balls and has already set records. This year, 302 teams participated, surpassing the previous edition’s 204 teams. It earned a place in the Asia Book of Records last year. The organisers are now aiming for the Guinness Book of Records. The unique aspect of the tournament is its integration with an anti-drug campaign. Before each match, a bus screens a 10-minute video on the perils of drug abuse, followed by players taking an oath to stay drug-free.
Union Territory Cricket Association president Sanjay Tandon, the brain behind the tournament, said it was conceptualised to inspire youngsters to take up cricket and create a talent pipeline for Chandigarh. Explaining the larger vision behind the tournament, Tandon said, “We realised that unless we brought children from gullies and mohallas to proper grounds, we couldn’t show them their future in cricket. I discussed it with the Chandigarh Police. We concluded that encouraging youth to take up sports could serve as a powerful diversion from drugs. This is how the idea of fighting the drug crisis through cricket took shape.”
“Children play cricket on roads, outside houses or wherever they find space—it’s like a religion for them. The challenge was how to bring them to proper grounds. In 2012, when Naunihal Singh was the Senior Superintendent of Police, he introduced the gully cricket concept. I participated in it and saw its potential. When I became UTCA president, I drew on that experience and collaborated with the people who had contributed to it. Together, we developed a detailed concept paper to take it forward. After we gained BCCI membership, we needed a mechanism to channel local talent. This tournament does exactly that,” Tandon added.
Notably, to prioritise local players, UTCA revised its eligibility rules, requiring participants to have studied in Chandigarh for at least three years. “Next year, we will further increase it from three to four years. This ensures Chandigarh-born players get a fair chance, rather than those who previously played for neighbouring states,” he added.
The tournament, said Tandon, is more than just cricket—it’s a citywide carnival. This year’s edition saw 3,600 children aged between 14 and 18 participate in 302 teams, including 48 all-girl teams. Over 17 days, matches were played across nine grounds in the city, with 10-over games starting as early as 6 am.
“All teams were registered at local police beat boxes, and the Chandigarh Police played a vital role in organising the event,” he added. Police beats mobilised youth in their areas to form teams and the tournament took on a collaborative approach involving schools, sponsors and five departments of the Chandigarh administration. “Chandigarh has over 100 police beats. Each beat was asked to form two teams, with a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) overseeing the initiative.
Meetings were held with station house officers (SHOs), who tasked police personnel to mobilise youth in their areas to form teams of 12 players each. We expected around 50 teams to take part in the tournament. However, last year when we opened the invitation to take part in the tournament, we were surprised that 204 teams sent applications,” Tandon said.
Participants were provided with jerseys, shoes and cricket kits. Exhibition matches featuring Punjab and Haryana MLAs, High Court judges and other prominent groups added to the event’s festive vibe. Celebrities including Kapil Dev, Chetan Sharma and Ashok Malhotra also participated, inspiring young players.
The tournament’s impact goes beyond the records. “Thirty-five players were selected for red-ball trials, with one player bowling at 100 km/h. Seven players received wild card entries to domestic tournaments, proving the event’s success as a talent incubator,” said Tandon.
He further added, “The Gully Cricket Tournament is an opportunity for children from slums, colonies, and sectors to showcase their skills. The entire UTCA selection panel watches the matches to spot talent.”
With a budget of a Rs 1.25 crore, entirely sponsored by private organisations, the tournament has set an example of community-driven sports development. Its final match, played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on August 11, concluded a memorable season.
Courtsey: The Indian Express
No responses yet