Passionate players converge as cricket returns to the Rio Grande Valley

PHARR — Spiced chai coffee and Indian dishes were served and munched on as the cricketers played on their makeshift field as the sport returned to the Rio Grande Valley.

While the Cricket World Cup is in session and the recent announcement that cricket is to be an Olympic sport, locally, the India Association of the Rio Grande Valley began its seventh annual cricket tournament last weekend at Dr. William Long City Park.

The tournament is comprised of five teams playing Saturdays and Sundays every weekend at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. until the tournament ends Sunday, Nov. 12.

Team MARV and the Vaqueros started the tournament along with city officials and tournament organizers at the opening ceremony.

Michael Pacheco, Pharr City Commissioner Place 1, said it was an honor that tournament organizers chose to work with the city of Pharr and that the city is excited to bring awareness to the sport.

“I hear during the championship games it get pretty packed,” Pacheco said. “I am excited to see it.”

The tournament took off in 2022 and struggled during Covid times, IARGV President Kirti Singh said, so the return this year is special to the community.

“All these players, who are so fond of cricket and playing the game itself, could not play — that put a damper on things,” Singh said. “This year we said we are back on track, let’s just go do it.”

Singh added that the tournament is important not just for the players that are playing, but for the youth involvement for a sport that had popularity in the United States in the 19th century, before the rise of baseball.

“We want to try and educate,” Singh said. “We have fantastic savvy players that have very good knowledge of the game. They want to collectively do it, too. We are hoping just in the Pharr school system we can help do that.”

Singh, who played at the state and national level in India, comes from a family of notable cricketers.

Hareendranath Vengilat, a member of team MARV, travelled three hours from Monterrey, where he lives, to play in the tournament.

“I love it,” he said. “I have a passion to play.”

Vengilat said he speaks better Spanish than English after living in Mexico for the past three decades and that team’s that he has helped form in Monterrey have taken part in this tournament as well.

The players ages ranged from college students up to seasoned veterans.

The Vaqueros, compromised of professors, alumni and students at UTRGV, formed only a few months ago, their captain, Swetank Mohan, said.

The Vaqueros are comprised of players from multiple countries who are passionate about the sport, not just individuals from India, and even watch important professional matches together. The association harps on inclusivity and the sharing of culture.

There are intense international rivalries in the sport that are heightened because of political tensions, like in soccer, but it was a welcoming atmosphere in Pharr as the association and players shared the sport they love.

“We are expecting that the spectators that come not only come to have a good time with family and friends, but also enjoy the game, learn about it and diversify,” Singh said. “It is very important. I think anywhere you go, unless you have a diverse set of people, nothing moves forward.”

The association is also hosting a Diwali event on the eve of the cricket final at 5:30 p.m. at the McAllen Convention Center on Nov. 11. Diwali is a Hindu Festival of Lights usually held in October and November.

The IARGV also coordinates with similar organizations like the Gujarati Samaj of the RGV.

Gujarat is a state in India and over 100 families from the area live in the RGV. Their association is hosting a golf tournament at Los Lagos Golf Course in Edinburg this Friday.

Proceeds from the Diwali and the golf tournament go to the food bank.

“It takes a village they say,” Singh said. “This village is fantastic and the city of Pharr have been so helpful. We can only show our gratitude towards them for helping us get this ground going. Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, he and his team … everybody has been really helpful.”

“When a city helps, we can also show our gratitude towards them and it means a lot to us,” Singh said.

To see more, view MyRGV staff photographer Delcia Lopez’s full photo gallery here:

Photo Gallery: India Association of RGV’s 7th annual cricket tournament