Knight Riders Sports has announced a strategic partnership with CricMax Connect to strengthen grassroots cricket development in the United States, naming the organization as the Official Cricket Development Partner of the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR).
The announcement was made on Monday, marking a major step in expanding structured youth cricket pathways across the country and supporting long-term growth of the sport.
“We’ve spent over a decade building cricket from the ground up in American communities, coaching youth, partnering with townships, and earning our place as the exclusive cricket partner of PlayLA and the LA28 Olympics,” said Vinay Bhimjani, CEO of CricMax Connect and former CEO of USA Cricket.
The collaboration will focus on building a nationwide network of Knight Riders Cricket Academies designed to identify, train, and develop young talent. These academies will provide structured coaching programs, masterclass clinics, and talent exhibition opportunities aimed at giving aspiring cricketers direct exposure to professional standards of the game.
READ: New LA Knight Riders cricket facility opens in Pomona, led by Shah Rukh Khan (April 23, 2026)
The partnership aims “to deliver what American cricket has been missing: a complete ecosystem that develops talent at the grassroots and connects it to the professional game,” Bhimjani said.
CricMax Connect’s proprietary Quixera platform will play a central role in talent identification and scouting across the network, helping streamline the pathway from grassroots participation to higher-level competition.
The initiative comes at a time of increasing investment in cricket infrastructure in the United States, with over $300 million already committed through Major League Cricket (MLC). This investment reflects the sport’s growing momentum in the country, driven by both infrastructure development and rising participation.
Venky Mysore, CEO of Knight Riders Sports, called this partnership with CricMax Connect “a strategic step towards building a strong grassroots foundation for cricket in the United States.”
“As the sport grows in the United States, our focus is on nurturing talent, strengthening the ecosystem, and ensuring long-term, sustainable growth for cricket in America,” he added.
In parallel to this partnership, the Los Angeles Knight Riders, in collaboration with Fairplex, recently broke ground on a dedicated cricket venue in Pomona, Los Angeles County. The facility will serve as LAKR’s official home ground for the 2026 MLC season and represents Southern California’s first purpose-built cricket venue. It is set to host seven matches, including LAKR’s first three home fixtures scheduled from July 1 to July 5.
READ: Sundar Pichai joins Shah Rukh Khan, Mukesh Ambani in a bid to buy cricket team (January 20, 2025)
Beyond hosting professional fixtures, the venue is intended to play a broader role in strengthening cricket’s presence in the region. It reflects the Knight Riders’ ongoing investment in establishing Los Angeles as a key cricket destination in the United States while also supporting both elite-level competition and grassroots development initiatives.
The partnership also aligns with the rapid growth of cricket’s audience in the United States, supported by the 5.4 million-strong South Asian diaspora and increasing mainstream interest. It further strengthens CricMax Connect’s role in the lead-up to cricket’s return at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where the sport is expected to gain further visibility and participation.
Knight Riders Sports, which operates franchises across multiple global T20 leagues including the IPL, CPL, ILT20, and MLC, continues to expand its international footprint. Through this collaboration, both organizations aim to combine global expertise, technological innovation, and community-driven development to accelerate the growth of cricket in the United States.