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Take the green and blue cauldron that is the DreamCricket indoor facility in Hillsborough, NJ.

Add to it 6 teams of 6 players each going at each other for 6 overs with a hard, green tennis ball that is stripped of all its plumage and you have an evening of fast-paced fun of the bat and ball kind. 

Derby, Desi Warriors, Six Hippies, Woodlot, Dream Runners and The Academy 6 were the 6 teams who participated in the first edition of this new Indoor Cricket League concept.

For those of us who have grown up playing “gully” cricket or, for that matter, revel in the early Saturday tennis ball cricket leagues in USA, tennis ball cricket is hardly something that cries identity crisis. It is a clearly logical and much-needed format of the sport of cricket that allows the vast majority to participate in the sport more than just from in front of the television.

The only thing that had kept many in many areas of the USA from indulging in this high-energy version of the sport was the winter.

Well, DreamCricket has taken that out of the picture and, if the visibly satisfied faces of the players who get a taste of this last weekend at the DreamCricket facility is anything to go by, this is just the beginning of many more such tournaments to come.

It might come as a surprise to many that indoor cricket actually has its own World Cup and also has internationally accepted rules which start with the traditional “Laws of Cricket” as its basis, but then deviates in several key directions from those Laws mostly taking into consideration the practicalities of the restricted space within which it is played. Having said that, DreamCricket’s indoor facility being the most spacious indoor cricket facility in USA does give the players a little bit of that extra room for a dive here to stop the ball or an extra step for the bowler to add a yard or two of pace.

The matches themselves take just about an hour each. The 6 teams were placed in 2 groups of 3 each. The entire tournament was scheduled to take place on 3 weekend evenings spanning 2 weekends. This format of the tournament guaranteed each participating team 2 matches each in the “Group elimination” stage where each of the 3 teams in a group compete against each other once. The top 2 teams from each group then meet in the Semi Finals the winners of which would fight for the trophy in the Finals.

This inaugural tournament was unveiled on Saturday, the 21st of February at 6:30PM. Derby and Desi Warriors of Group “A” went at each other twice since DreamCricket Academy forfeited their matches. Derby won both matches. On 22nd of February, Six Hippies, Woodlot and Dream Runners played the 3 matches that resulted in Woodlot topping the heap with 2 wins from 2 matches and Dream Runners second with one win. This meant that the Six Hippies team had to make way for the other two in the Semis.

The “Super Saturday” event will begin on the 27th of February at 6:00PM. Desi Warriors will face Woodlot and Derby will go against Dream Runners for a place in the Final that is scheduled to begin at 9PM on the same day.

So, if you are in the area and would like to watch some high-octane cricket being played by some really talented and innovative cricketers, get yourself to: 5, Jill Court, Bldg 14, Door 16, Hillsborough, NJ.

DreamCricket will be organizing more such events in the very near future. Those will involve more than just 6 teams. So, if you or someone you know would like to participate in these upcoming tournaments, please contact: frontfoot@dreamcricket.com for more information.