She carried her “best bat,” with her gloves wrapped around the handle. All the 9-year-old needed was an Indian team jersey.

When the American Premier League teams from India and Pakistan faced off Monday night, Jadhav was tempted to run out on the field at Yogi Berra Stadium. Of course, she’d be playing for India, just like her dad, Sudip Jadhav.

An all-arounder and left-arm off-spinner, Jadhav is the youngest player on New Jersey’s state cricket team, alongside women she calls “aunties” — some of whom are old enough to be her mother.

But even Jadhav was a bit taken aback when she learned her father’s team — Premium Indians — played at a stadium. He showed her a video of a diving catch he made while wicket keeping, and “I went crazy.” She insisted on attending the India-Pakistan match, even though she hadn’t finished her homework.

“Cricket’s not that popular (in the United States), but this is awesome,” said Jadhav, who lives in Hillsborough. “He’s playing an international in a stadium.”

India and Pakistan may meet again in the APL final on Thursday night. The top four teams will play a semifinal doubleheader Wednesday.

The rivalry between the neighboring nations dates back to the partition of British India into India and Pakistan in 1947.

The true Indian and Pakistani national teams were not on the field in Little Falls. Instead, it was a conglomeration of international players — some of whom were not raised in the countries on their jerseys — and local guys.

But the fans didn’t seem to mind. Attendance Monday night was estimated at 1,200, easily the largest of the round-robin portion of the tournament.

“You grow up in a culture. You don’t learn it. It comes to you,” said Haider Ali, a native of Lahore, Pakistan, who is playing for the APL’s Aussies.

“Wherever they’re playing against each other, there’s extra pressure. It’s more than a sport when they’re playing.”

Changing the culture

With more than a billion fans worldwide, cricket is the No. 2 spectator sport behind soccer. However, 90 percent are from the Indian subcontinent, according to a 2018 study by the International Cricket Council.

The United States is a relatively untapped market, according to APL Founder and CEO Jay Mir. By naming the teams after cricket-loving communities worldwide, Mir hoped to capitalize on expats who are part of local leagues.

There are approximately 300 million cricket players worldwide. Each APL team is a mix of international invitees and domestic players culled from a series of trials held around the United States this summer.

The APL is playing Twenty20 cricket, where each team plays 20 overs — or innings, made up of six pitches each. There are five batters per game, with each playing a maximum of four overs.
India has won six of the eight T20 internationals against Pakistan. However, Pakistan has an 86-70 advantage in the 199 full internationals, and has also won more Test matches.

Premium Indians was able to edge out Premium Paks by four wickets on Monday night.

“Pakistan and India, any time there’s a match, it’s always a big rivalry,” said Bilal Zukfiquar, a Pakistani emigre who lives in Parlin — but plays for the English APL team.

“It’s more about cricket becoming big. There are people who have a lot of money who are willing to invest in cricket here. Since it’s getting better, a lot of people are getting attracted to cricket.”

A crown atop his head in honor of Indian national team captain Virat “King” Kohli, Raj Sava stalked the stadium Monday night. He live-streamed parts of the match on his phone, cheering and moaning depending on the activity on the field.

The Indian fans crowded behind the first-base dugout, shouting for players wearing royal blue, trimmed with red and white. Pakistan’s green-clad crowd included a pair of drummers in traditional dress up the third-base line, and several waving green flags with the white crescent moon and star.

Fatima Niazi, a 10-year-old from Keyport, held up a poster reading “Pakistan Zindabad,” which loosely translates to “victory for Pakistan.” However, both her older brothers, Murad and Taimur Niazi, are playing for Premium English. Their father, Basitkan Niazi, is an APL assistant coach working with the Premium Paks.

The APL champion gets $75,000, and the tournament MVP receives a Corvette.

“There’s a lot of minor leagues going on, but nothing like this,” said Sava, an Edison resident who plays batsman and keeper for the New Jersey Blackcaps, which is owned by Indian APL team owner Sam Singh.

“It’s better than finals. We have big tournaments between India and Pakistan, always, and we always win. Like America is the superpower of everything, India is the superpower of cricket. It’s a passion.”

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Born and raised in Pakistan, Cheema moved to Canada in his early twenties. Although he had only played cricket at the club level in Pakistan, his skill caught the attention of Canadian cricket leagues. Cheema’s career took off in 2008, making his international cricket debut for the Canadian national team.

Cheema is no stranger to the role of captain. He was named former captain Ashish Bagai’s deputy for the Canada Tour of Sri Lanka in 2009. Later in the season when Bagai suffered an injury, Cheema was named captain for the Caribbean T20 tournament. Cheema was appointed full-time captain of the Canadian team in 2012.

“I’m excited to lead Team Paks to victory in the American Premier League,” Cheema said. “I am proud of my cricket career in Canada, and I always look forward to playing in the United States!”

With Cheema as their captain, Team Paks is setting themselves up to be a real competitor in APL. Tickets for the American Premier League are on sale now, including the highly anticipated Team Paks vs Team Indians match. There are also special Team Paks VIP packages available, which include ticket to every Team Paks match, the APL semi-finals, and the APL finals.

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Mohammed is an American cricketer originally from Trinidad. He is a left-handed all-rounder who made his cricket debut for the United States National team in May 2010. He competed in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup for the national under-19 team, where he was named man of the match.

Mohammed has played cricket since he was a young child. He was even given the nickname “Andy,” a reference to English cricketer Andy Caddick, by his aunt who supported his love of the sport.

“It means a lot to me to be captain for Premium Americans. I’m excited to have the opportunity to lead and motivate our team on the field,” Mohammed said. “They say, ‘When you win, it’s the team. But when you lost, it’s the captain,’ so I hope we get a lot of wins!”

You can learn more about Andy Mohammed in our exclusive interview below:

With Mohammed leading Team Americans, we are excited to see how they compete this month. Tickets for the American Premier League are on sale now. There are also special Team Americans VIP packages available, which include ticket to every Team Americans match, the APL semi-finals, and the APL finals.

The post Meet Team Americans Captain: Andy Mohammed appeared first on American Premier Cricket League.

Wondering what to expect? Here is a sample of the vast, glitzy entertainment we have scheduled for September 13th!

TESHER

World-renowned singer, Tesher, will be performing at the Opening Ceremony. He is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is well known for his song “Jalebi Baby” with Jason Derulo.

SHERJAN AHMAD

Singer-songwriter Sherjan Ahmad has an amazing performance planned for the Opening Ceremony. His set will include cover songs from his father’s band Junoon!

SHAZIA MANZOOR

Popular Punjabi singer, Shazia Manzoor, will be joining us for the APL Opening Ceremony. We are thrilled to have her beautiful voice kick off our cricket season! Check out some of her music here.

We have these amazing musicians and more exciting entertainment! Come and meet with cricket stars and celebrities, enjoy a Bollywood dance show and watch us light up the night sky with spectacular fireworks and a drone show!

Tickets are selling fast! The Opening Ceremony will be fun for the whole family! Purchase your tickets today here.

The post APL Opening Ceremony 2021 Preview appeared first on American Premier Cricket League.

And the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament (MVP) will be driving home in a beautiful Corvette!

Patel is a versatile batsman from New Jersey. Patel competes in the New Jersey Premiere T20 league for the New Jersey Blackcaps, where he also serves as team captain. His Blackcaps teammates will be playing with him on the Team Indians roster under leadership of team owner, Sam Singh.

Patel has played competitive cricket in India and then moved his career to New Jersey. He has won multiple Premiere T20 Championships and, most recently, the 22 Yards Unity Cup with the New Jersey Blackcaps.

“It’s thrilling to see a tournament like APL happening in New Jersey,” Patel said. “It will showcase a lot of local talent. I look forward to leading Premium Indians USA Kings to victory in the inaugural APL Championship.”

With Patel leading Team Indians, we are looking forward to see how they compete this month. Tickets for the American Premier League are on sale now, including the exciting match between Team Indians and Team Paks. There are also special Team Indians VIP packages available, which include ticket to every Team Indians match, the APL semi-finals, and the APL finals.

The post Meet Team Indians Captain: Keval Patel appeared first on American Premier Cricket League.

• The Winner of the Tournament will receive $75,000 USD
• The Runner-Up of the Tournament will receive $25,000 USD
• The Bowler of the Tournament will receive $2,500 USD
• The Batsman of the Tournament will receive $2,500 USD

And the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament (MVP) will be driving home in a beautiful Corvette!

We are also excited to announce that we have a new prize available for our FANS! The Fan of the Tournament will win a beautiful sports bike! To enter for a chance to win, fans will need to purchase a tournament pass and enter a drawing.

Be sure to join us at Yogi Berra Stadium this September to see who will win these prizes! Tickets are on sale now!

The post 2021 Tournament Prizes appeared first on American Premier Cricket League.

All players who qualified for the Selection Tournament are invited to join us this Saturday at 10AM sharp. We are also providing one last tryout session for those who did not have an opportunity to tryout previously. This is your last chance to join us for the 2021 season! Come out to Kennedy Park this Saturday for a bonus tryout session!

If you aren’t ready to play professionally yet, not to worry. We plan to host trials every year moving forward. Next year promises to have a big trial selection process, as we plan to add five new teams for our 2022 league!

We are so grateful for all the incredible players who came out to trials this summer. We traveled the country and met players all over, hosting trial sessions in New Jersey, California, Washington DC, Chicago, Florida, and Texas. We are so excited to bring the next generation of cricket stars to America!

About Chief Selector and Head Coach Afzaal Butt

Afzaal Butt has over thirty years of experience in the world of professional cricket. He has played for teams such as Lahore City, Railways, and North West Frontier Province Governor’s XI. He has also played professional cricket in both England and Scotland.

Butt’s coaching experience includes the Pakistan National Team and Pakistan A (Fast Bowling Coach), National Bank of Pakistan (Cricket Team Coach), Lahore Cricket Association (Coach and Selector), and the Sports Ministry of Pakistan (Fast Bowling Coach). He is a PCB-qualified coach and frequently coaches in the New York and New Jersey areas.

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Khalid is a right-arm off-spinner with quite an impressive resume. He has played for England A, England Lions, and Worcestershire CCC. He has also represented England National Academy, England National Skills, England Performance Program, Northamptonshire CCC, Hertfordshire CCC, Buckinghamshire CCC, and Bedfordshire CCC. Cricket has taken his career all over the world, including playing in the Mauritius Premier League, Norway Premier League, and Kashmir Premier League.

Khalid’s career highlights include winning the County Championship final while playing for Worcestershire CCC against Northamptonshire CCC in 2003 by taking seven wickets in the final! Also in 2003, Khalid’s cricket skills earned him the NBC Denis Compton Award for best young player in the county.

This is not Khalid’s first time as team captain. He has acted as team captain for the winning team in T20 Pro Am in 2018 and the Hitchin Cricket Club in 2018, leading the team to win the entire league.

Khalid became Director of Cricket for Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire County Cricket Club in 2018. Most recently, he has acted as Lead Spin Coach for Worcestershire CCC, ECB Level 3 Performance coach, and Director of SSK Cricket Ltd. His coaching career has also led him to cricket academies as the Academy Director for both Rising Star Cricket Academy and The Shared Learning Trust Cricket Academy.

Still, Khalid has found time for cricket this past year, earning the title of leading run scorer and leading wicket taker in Hertfordshire League in 2021.

With Khalid, we are excited to see how Team English fares this September, especially in their highly anticipated match against Team Aussies! Tickets for the American Premier League are on sale now, including the English vs Aussies match. There are also special Team English VIP packages available, which include tickets to every Team English match, the APL semi-finals, and the APL finals.

The post Meet Team English Captain: Shaftab Ahmed Khalid appeared first on American Premier Cricket League.

To celebrate the launch of our historic tournament this fall, we are proud to announce a partnership APL has partnered with world-renowned Pakistani singer,  Ali Azmat.

Ali Azmat will write, create, and produce the Super Anthem for our league! We are thrilled to have a superstar of this magnitude join us in a multi-year songwriting and endorsement contract.

Ali Azmat, along with his former band, Junoon, composed the anthem of the 1996 Cricket World Cup and now, the national song of the Pakistan national cricket team, Jazba-e-Junoon. This translated means “If you have the passion, then never lose heart. Whoever strives hard touches the heavens.” This song is still in the hearts of millions of cricket fans across the world, but Ali Azmat promises to make an even bigger hit for APL!

“I am thrilled to sign a multi-year exclusive deal with American Premier League to compose the APL Anthem,” Azmat said. “This anthem will warm the hearts of millions of cricket-loving fans across the globe!”

“Growing up in Pakistan, and as a personal fan of Ali Azmat and Junoon, I’m very excited to announce he will be partnering with American Premier League,” said Jay Mir, APL founder and CEO. “Azmat’s music is loved by many South Asians and throughout the cricket community. I know he will write something amazing that all music fans will enjoy, which will help usher cricket into the United States!

The legacy of Azmat and his band, Junoon, will be felt throughout our tournament, with Sherjan Ahmed, whose father was in Junoon, performing a cover set at the APL Opening Ceremony on September 13. Tickets are on sale now! You can purchase tickets here or by calling 914-340-1127.

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