Sanjay Krishnamurthi’s story is no less than a Bollywood movie, from sweating on the cricket field in Bengaluru to making a splash in America’s Major League Cricket (MLC), this 22-year-old boy found a way to make his dreams come true.
Let’s know about his fun and inspiring journey.
Sanjay’s love for cricket started when he was in Bengaluru. As a child, he dreamed of playing for India.
Practicing in the academy there, playing regional cricket, and playing in Karnataka’s Under-16 team, Sanjay put everything into it. But after India’s World Cup win in 2011, his family shifted to America. The dream was there, but the path was difficult.
Due to the tough competition in cricket in India and his OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India), playing for India became almost impossible.
The magic of Sanjay Krishnamurthi’s cricket in America
After reaching America, Sanjay did not give up. Along with studying computer science at San Jose University, he also started giving time to cricket.
In 2019, a call changed his life. MLC gave him a chance to trial.
He attended camps in Mumbai and Houston, and then due to Covid-19 his stay in America got prolonged. But this was the opportunity when he embraced American cricket.
Sanjay says, “I am an OCI cardholder, not an Indian citizen. After playing for Karnataka, the rule came that OCI cardholders cannot play for the state. To play for India, I had to give up my American citizenship, which was a very long process. So that path was closed.”
But he got a new opportunity in America. Playing for San Francisco Unicorns in MLC, he scored 169 runs in 9 matches in 2024, which also included an unbeaten innings of 79 runs. His strike rate was 136.2.
Promoting cricket in America is not easy. Sanjay says,
“There is no cricket ground in the university here. We have to practice on baseball grounds. But people are interested, it’s just that there is a lack of infrastructure.”
Still, he is ready to make a splash in MLC 2025. Sharing the dressing room with legends like Pat Cummins, Shane Watson is a big deal for him.
Sanjay says, “Last season was a test for me. Now I am confident that I can play at the top level.”
At MLC 2025, he is eager to play in front of friends and family in his “home” game at the Oakland Coliseum.
He hopes to make the Bay Area’s large South Asian community crazy about cricket.
