Cricket's rise in Minnesota reaches the state Capitol
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Some Minnesota lawmakers are taking a crack at adding cricket to the state's roster of official high school sports.
Why it matters: The centuries-old sport, one of the world's most popular games, is gaining a growing fan base across the United States.
- Interest is expected to rise in the years ahead, as cricket returns to the Summer Olympics lineup in 2028.
Driving the news: A bipartisan bill moving through the state Capitol seeks to capitalize on that fervor by directing the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) to add cricket to its list of sanctioned interscholastic athletic activities.
- Under the legislation, pilot programs would begin in at least three schools as soon as next year, with a full season starting by the 2028–2029 school year.
State of the pitch: A push to promote the sport in America, including the 2023 launch of a U.S. professional league, has translated to explosive growth, with USA Cricket reporting hundreds of thousands of players nationwide.
- Several suburbs, including Brooklyn Park, Chaska, Plymouth and Eden Prairie, have added cricket pitches in recent years, per the Star Tribune, and private facilities in Minnetonka and Burnsville offer year-round training indoors.
By the numbers: Minnesota's growing cricket community now boasts 3,000 active players, supporter Suryaprakash Ganesan told a state Senate committee on Monday.
- The Minnesota Cricket Association has seen its own youth participation numbers rise from 20–30 in the early 2010s to about 400 this year, president Ramesh Ailaveni told Axios.
What they're saying: "I'm not sure cricket has reached Olympic hockey level of excitement in Minnesota, but it is growing," the bill's author, Sen. Zach Duckworth (R-Lakeville), told a Senate committee Monday.
- He said he's been "blown away" by turnout at matches in his district.
Friction point: MSHSL lobbyist Roger Aronson told the committee that the organization would prefer that any effort to add cricket to the list of regulated activities travels through its regular process, which allows backers to apply for "emerging sport" status once 20 school-based teams have played for two years.
- "Cricket is obviously a neat idea, with a worldwide appeal. ... [but] we would ask that you not do this particular model," he said of Duckworth's approach.
- That process allows schools to add and operate club teams while support grows.
Between the lines: Adding sanctioned high school sports in Minnesota can be politically fraught and rife with logistical hurdles.
- The cricket push could face conflicts over field space, scheduling and questions about whether the addition would pull athletes from baseball and other sports.
- Backers of other activities still vying for official varsity status, such as flag football, are farther along in the process.
Where it stands: The Senate version of the bill was "laid over" on Monday for possible inclusion in a broader education policy bill.
- A companion measure introduced in the House last year has bipartisan support, but hasn't gotten a hearing yet.
What we're watching: Duckworth said his ultimate goal is to raise awareness of the sport's popularity, and he indicated that he expects supporters to begin seeking emerging sports status regardless of whether the bill passes.
Either way, the sport's boosters say they expect the Minnesota cricket scene to keep growing.
- "There are some good players who are getting recognition at the national level," Ailaveni said. "Hopefully, someday I will see some Minnesota youth on the U.S. National Team."