Knight Riders play first game in new stadium as Olympic cricket buzz grows

POMONA, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Knight Riders played their first home game Wednesday under the lights of their brand-new cricket field in Southern California, marking a milestone event as excitement builds for the 2028 Olympics. Cricket, the second most-watched sport in the world, is set to be included in the Olympic Games after a 126-year hiatus. With a global following of over 2.5 billion, the Olympics are expected to draw international attention to Knight Riders Cricket Ground in Pomona, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles. Major League Cricket, which currently holds a monthlong season with six teams, is hoping to build momentum by giving sports fans in major markets a taste of the excitement cricket can produce. About 2,000 spectators — predominantly South Asian — filled the stands Wednesday night for the first match between the home team and the Washington Freedom. They cheered as the first ball of the match was bowled and the thwack of the strike echoed across the stadium — a $21 million, 200,000-square-foot (18,580-square-meter) facility with six floodlit towers that went from groundbreaking to completion in under 70 days. A blending of LA and cricket culture for opener As the crowd waved purple and gold flags — the Knight Riders' colors, just like the Los Angeles Lakers — a DJ mixed in Bollywood and Bhangra music with Bad Bunny and evergreen pop hits like Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and Queen's "We Will Rock You." Lakers legend Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly known as Ron Artest, bowled the ceremonial first ball to inaugurate the new stadium. Venky Mysore, CEO of Mumbai-based Knight Riders Sports, said the cricket conglomerate took no shortcuts in building the stadium with eight pitches. A pitch, also called a wicket, is a rectangular strip where most of the action takes place during a cricket match. Most stadiums only have four to six pitches, Mysore said. The San Gabriel mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to the stadium, located in the Fairplex event complex. It has temporary seating to accommodate about 5,000 for the 2026 season. That will be replaced by permanent seating for over 20,000 in the next year or so, Mysore said. Also in the works is a professional-level practice facility and a Knight Riders Cricket Academy, which he said will help promote and build interest for the game at a grassroots level. Right now, only three other international-level cricket stadiums operate in the U.S. — in Texas, Florida and North Carolina. The sport is also played in other multipurpose venues such as the Oakland Coliseum. Fans and players celebrate cricket's future in the US Tanush Bhagwat, a 13-year-old fast bowler, traveled from San Diego with his family to watch Wednesday's game. He plays for two local leagues and hopes to make the major league and play for Team USA someday. "The ground looks great," he said. "But the Olympics is going to be even more fun. I can't wait." Raj Walia, an Orange County resident, said the last time he watched live cricket in Los Angeles was an exhibition match between India and Pakistan in 1989. He showed up with about 30 friends and family members to catch the first game played in the new stadium. "I'm excited about Major League Cricket," he said. "I think cricket is increasing in popularity and it'll become even bigger with the Olympics." Saurabh Netravalkar, a fast bowler with the winning Washington Freedom team, earned Player of the Match on Wednesday for taking three wickets while conceding only 16 runs. Also a member of the national team, Netravalkar said he enjoyed playing at the new stadium. "It's heartening to see the vibe, the crowd," he said. "It's so great for the sport in this country." Netravalkar, 34, said he never thought he would get to see cricket make it to the Olympics during his career. "But, it's really happening, and that's exciting," he said. "Cricket in the U.S. has evolved exponentially over the last five years. We're on the right track." Karthik Gattepalli, a 26-year-old left-arm spinner for the Los Angeles Knight Riders, said he relished playing with his teammates before an excited home crowd. "Having the local fans, the vibe, the view of the mountains," he said. "This is something you can't beat." Gattepalli, who played for the Under-19 U.S. team, sees Major League Cricket as an opportunity for "homegrown kids" like him to thrive in large venues and "make it to the Olympics." League CEO Johnny Grave said he and others leading the growth of cricket in the U.S. are now focused on the Olympics. "The legacy of 2028 is what we're most interested in," he said. "Today is just the start of this level of professional cricket coming to Los Angeles and Southern California. This is a permanent base for cricket."