Parking lot pitch

West Broadway

The red rubber ball’s loud crack echoes as it hits the concrete pavement, before a sharp thud follows as it hits the cricket player’s heavy bat.

A group of friends gather a couple of days a week in a parking lot between Colony Street and Good Street in West Broadway once their respective work shifts are over to play cricket and unwind after a busy day.

Mahir Mulchandani, 21, has been playing since he can remember. Cricket has been a childhood game for Mulchandani and also for most kids in India, he said.

“It gives us a sense of home,” Mulchandani said. He is also one of the founders of the group.

They don’t play the traditional game of cricket, but the street version of it, called gully cricket. It’s an informal variation typically played in improvised or tight spaces like alleyways, backyards — or parking lots. It is known for its highly flexible rules.

Often, when they play, tenants in the surrounding apartment buildings will watch from their balconies and clap whenever they get a good hit of the ball.

“I don’t think cricket is still that popular (here) yet,” Deep Vyas, one of the members of the group, said, noting it’s more popular in countries like New Zealand and the United States.

According to the Manitoba Cricket Association, the sport is currently experiencing “unprecedented growth” across the province, with more than 75 teams participating in organized leagues in Winnipeg alone.

“MCA has made youth development a top priority,” Paramjit Shahi, President of the Manitoba Cricket Association, said in a statement. “Our investment in coaching, facilities, and organized programming is creating opportunities for young athletes from all backgrounds to learn the game and develop their skills. We are building the future of cricket in Manitoba.”

The city currently has only four dedicated cricket venues, all far from central neighbourhoods, leaving the nearby parking lot as a convenient, no-fuss option for a quick game. The cricket venues within the city are Assiniboine Park, La Barriere Park, Waverly Ground, and Elwick Ground. A 40,000-square-foot indoor sport facility is set to open near McGillivray Boulevard in 2027.

“These investments are creating more opportunities for athletes while ensuring the sport can continue to grow sustainably throughout Manitoba,” the MCA statement added.

Still, for spectators like Gordon, just seeing the game exists in Winnipeg is notable.

“I think it’s great to see a game not so common being played here,” Gordon, who refused to disclose his last name, said.

He is one of the spectators of the game and lives not too far away from the parking lot. Gordon has been watching the group play for around six weeks now — he even tried to play cricket with them once or twice.

“They are always friendly and they are good people,” Gordon said.

On the other hand, the group has had complaints from the neighbours and a local convenient store owner. The store owner said the ball often hits his glass store front. To try to accomodate, the group moved their games to an earlier time in the evening, starting at 6 p.m., and wait for all the cars in parking lot to clear out. But whenever someone wants to go through the lot, the group immediately stops playing, said Gordon — not unlike kids playing street hockey on a public road.

The parking lot is a convenient spot since a regular cricket game requires 11 people per team — 22 total — and they usually only get seven or eight players per game.

The group started playing earlier this spring with four to five people. Now, their WhatsApp group chat includes 33 members and counting, Mulchandani said. The people in the group all got to know each other through invites and word of mouth. Each of them comes from a different area of the city.

“I’m even the one who keeps asking everyone to play,” Mulchandani laughed as he imitated how he aggressively texts on an imaginary phone keyboard.