Tokyo, Sep 17 (IANS) With cricket set for a return to the Asian Games and the sport preparing for its Olympic comeback at Los Angeles 2028, Delhi Capitals have taken their grassroots outreach to Japan by partnering with The British School in Tokyo (BST).
The IPL franchise has partnered with the school to introduce more young students in Japan to cricket, with support from the Japan Cricket Association (JCA).
The partnership comes just days before a historic week for India-Japan cricket. The Indian women’s team will face hosts Japan in the Asian Games quarter-finals on Friday, September 18, while the Indian men’s team will meet Japan in the Suzuki Cup T20 International on September 22 at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.
As the first initiative under the partnership, former India captain and Delhi Capitals Women’s Assistant Coach Anju Jain visited BST in September to conduct cricket workshops for primary and secondary students.
Jain, a former India international wicketkeeper-batter who captained the country at the 2000 Women’s World Cup and received the Arjuna Award, introduced students to the fundamentals of the sport while drawing on her experience as an international player and coach.
The partnership is expected to expand beyond introductory workshops, with plans for further coaching sessions and player interactions, technical guidance for school coaches and support for student-led cricket programmes at BST.
Ian Clayton, Principal of The British School in Tokyo, said the initiative could help connect students with the wider possibilities offered by the sport. “Cricket has a wonderful ability to bring people together across cultures and generations. We are proud of our connection to the game and excited by the opportunity to work with Anju and Delhi Capitals to help inspire its future in Japan. Most importantly, we want our students to see where passion, dedication and ambition can take them.”
Delhi Capitals CEO Sunil Gupta said the franchise sees scope to contribute to the development of cricket at the grassroots level in Japan. “Japan is an exciting market for cricket, and we see a great opportunity to contribute to its growth at the grassroots level. Through our partnership with The British School in Tokyo, we want to bring our experience and expertise closer to young players and give them the opportunity to learn from people who have played and coached the game at the highest level. We believe this can help spark greater interest in cricket and encourage more young people in Japan to take up the sport,” he said.
Delhi Capitals already have a connection with Japanese cricket through pacer Ahilya Chandel, who joined the franchise as a net bowler during WPL 2025. Chandel is among the few bowlers to have claimed a double hat-trick in WT20Is.
The latest initiative comes as cricket builds momentum in Japan. Its presence at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games marks another step in that growth, while the sport is also set to return to the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028.
For Delhi Capitals, the partnership with BST provides another avenue to take the game beyond its traditional markets and introduce cricket to a new generation of potential players in Japan.
–IANS
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