Cricket players and fans are about to have a new place to practice and watch their sport as All Stars Crickets Arena is set to open in mid-February according to Community Impact

Cricket is Texas’ second most popular sport after soccer, with the Frisco Cricket League bringing even more popularity to the sport in 2018, creating 42 teams and gathering more than a thousand participants. 

The new cricket arena will feature 14 indoor cricket lanes for batting and bowling practice allowing for more training spaces in the city. 

Junior Aarush Behra believes the arena will be popular among the people of Frisco.

“Considering we don’t really have a specific place for cricket nearby, I would say it’s a good thing,” Behra said. “I’m glad to hear about it, and I’m sure people will love it.”

All Stars Cricket Arena will be spread across four acres and be one of the largest cricket training and competition facilities in the country.

According to sophomore Aditri Pandey the culture of cricket is often described as a “way of life” and can be a unifying force on the Indian subcontinent where the International Cricket Council says more than 90% of the world’s one billion cricket fans live 

“I feel really proud because I’m glad that something from my heritage is being spread here,” Pandey said. “Especially with the amount of Indians in Frisco already. I feel really good about it.”

The new arena is expected to also include six specialized indoor bowling lanes, outdoor wicket lanes on natural turf, cricket gear and accessories, concession stands, specialized training spaces, a fitness center, locker rooms, coaches, and more.

“I feel really happy that a cricket arena is finally being opened, because with the huge Indian population and the huge influence that cricket has over Indian culture,” sophomore Karthika Menon said. “I think it’s a really good thing that it’s being spread throughout the world including Texas.”