The cricket season and the excitement for it has begun in New Jersey.The Millennium Cricket League (MCL) of New Jersey, New Jersey had its first round of competitive matches on April 23 between the Jersey Giants and Woodbridge.

The match was won by the Giants by 62 runs. The  MCL was founded in 2001 and provides one of the finest cricketing experiences.

The Times of India reported that, Maninder Singh, the vice president of MCL and captain of Jersey Giants, said that, "Cricket is progressively growing popular in USA. While it is still being mostly played by South East Asian immigrants and Caribbeans, Americans are slowly developing a taste and interest for the shorter version of the game. For us, to be able to play organized cricket outside India is a dream come true. When I first landed in the US, I couldn't imagine the sport being so popular. The passion of being a part of this growth and leading a cricket club in a league that now attracts international professional players is quite exciting.”

“Cricket also gets me to meet friends, with whom now I've developed long lasting relationships, on and off the ground. This sport gets communities together and whittles down political boundaries. The zeal to perform on ground and desire to win, rubs me to perform better in my individual professional career as well."

"Being born and raised in India, cricket is in our hearts and souls. Having grown up watching idols like Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly, cricket is so deeply ingrained in our hearts. It gives a sense of home outside our home. While we do engage in leisurely sports like basketball or American football, the growing interest in cricket among hordes of other people in the US, gives us easy access to playing this sport. Local townships and governments are encouraging the sports and providing us grounds to play the game," he said.

Also read: Two Indian-Americans joint winners of US Spelling Bee championship

Nandini