Cricket
Cricket
Six best cricket academies in Kerala
We list out the best academies for budding cricketers from Kerala with inputs from former state captain Sachin Baby.
Kerala has produced some extraordinary cricketing talent over the years.
Their Ranji Trophy performances have also seen a marked improvement with this young talent coming through to the state side.
Former captain Sachin Baby was at the helm to help the state team to its recent success. As captain and one of the top batsmen to have emerged from the state, he is well aware of where the talent is being developed.
"Cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Calicut have more academies compared to other places in Kerala. A lot of players are also from these cities because of the facilities available," says Sachin Baby when asked about the state’s best academy.
Here he helps list out the six best cricket academies Kerala.
Sachin Baby
© Jeevan Krishna Kumar
Kerala Cricket Association Academy
Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has started academies across cities in Kerala that offer free of cost coaching for budding cricketers. Talented players, irrespective of their background, will directly come under the KCA radar and can be handpicked for age group cricket.
"There are many centres for them including in places like Alleppey, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Ernakulam. The players will be taken care of fully with food, jerseys, cricket equipment, studies and travel being covered by KCA," Sachin explains of the academies run by the state association.
Medical College Ground, Thiruvananthapuram
The Medical College Ground (MCG) was formed by Biju George, who was the fielding coach of the Indian women’s cricket team and is set to be the fielding coach at Hyderabad in the upcoming league season.
Biju George struggled to set up the now successfully-running academy and takes no fee from the children he trains. Despite the lack of profits, the academy has yielded some outstanding cricketers who have gone on to play for Kerala in the Ranji Trophy.
"A lot of players are coming through MCG in Thiruvananthapuram. Players like Raiphy Vincent Gomez, Prashanth Parameswaran, Sanju Samson, KM Asif, P Prashanth and Nizar Niyas have all come through the MCG. It is perhaps the best academy in Thiruvananthapuram alongside Masters. I also train here when I go to Thiruvananthapuram," says Sachin.
Swantons Cricket Club, Kochi
Swantons in Kochi is perhaps the most appealing academy in Kerala. In terms of infrastructure, it is the best equipped and it has produced some of the most exciting talent to have graced Kerala cricket. The state cricket team’s current head coach, Tinu Yohannan, came through this academy and went on to play for India.
"Most of the Ranji players in the Kerala team have come through Swantons, including me. I started my cricket career at Swantons in Kochi. Several other players including Basil Thampi, Tinu Yohannan, Sebastian Antony and CM Deepak have come through this academy," Sachin says.
Located in the Sacred Heart College Ground in Thevara, Swantons offers year-long coaching programs as well as summer camps for school-going kids.
Muthoot Yamaha Masters Cricket Club, Thiruvananthapuram
A highly professional club that conducts tournaments round the year, the Masters Cricket Club in Thiruvananthapuram has been a stepping stone for several budding cricketers in the state.
"Abhishek Mohan, Sanju Samson, Fazil Fanoos have all started their career at Masters Cricket Academy. They might have moved elsewhere later on, but they started off from here," Sachin says.
Their popular Masters Cup in February 2020 saw 16 teams from across the state participate in a tournament that was staged across KCA-approved stadiums. The presentation after the finals was conducted by former Zimbabwean captain, Tatenda Taibu.
Tripunithura Cricket Club
Established in the 1930s by the royal family of Kochi, the Tripunithura Cricket Club was formerly known as Princess Club and was later renamed.
The club has been conducting an all-India knockout cricket tournament, the Pooja Knockout Tournament, for the last 70 years.
Known as the Heritage Tournament as recognised by the Kerala Cricket Association, the tournament is one of the oldest in the state's cricketing history. The club has over 150 youngsters attending coaching and practicing at their grounds which have indoor net facilities.
Falcons Cricket Club
Located in Calicut, the Falcons Cricket Club was founded in 1974 by four cricket enthusiasts. Managed by former Kerala skipper, Sunil Oasis, the Falcons is one of the most established cricket clubs in the state. The club organises summer camps each year where youngsters are guided and skills honed by well-equipped coaches.
The club is involved in a wide range of activities ranging from cricket coaching camps, umpiring clinics and counselling. They conduct tournaments including three and two day matches aside from the usual One Day and T20 formats. Synthetic and tennis ball cricket are also features in the club.
