Sunil Kumar, an expert batmaker from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, is among several master craftsmen lured to Sangam as manufacturers in this south Kashmir town have witnessed a surge in orders ahead of the Cricket World Cup that begins next week.
While sales of bats made from Kashmir willow witness an uptick ahead of every multilateral event organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC), orders this year have been higher as India is hosting the event after a gap of 12 years. “With the Cricket World Cup approaching, the demand for bats has risen so much that we are not able to complete all the orders,” Kumar said.
While more work translates into higher earnings, Kumar is happy that the bats he makes will reach international cricket.
“I am a batmaker with 20 years’ experience. I have made bats for ace cricketers such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Andre Russell, and Dwayne Bravo,” Kumar said.
Fawzul Kabir, the spokesperson for the Cricket Bat Manufacturers’ Association of Kashmir, said the demand for Kashmir willow bats has steadily increased over the past two years after the ICC granted approval for these to be used in international tournaments.
“We have been manufacturing cricket bats for 102 years but didn’t have any national or international recognition till 2021. After getting the ICC’s approval, our bats appeared in different international tournaments, and the demand has risen manifold,” Kabir, who manufactures bats under the GR8 Sports brand, said.
Kabir claimed that Kashmir caters to 80 per cent of the global demand for cricket bats. Kabir claimed that from “zero exports” till 2021, more than 1.85 lakh bats from Kashmir have been exported to various countries.
