Bollywood Stars Come to Cupertino, Play Cricket

City Hall Field in Cupertino transformed into a destination for an international celebrity cricket match Saturday afternoon, when Bollywood television stars/cricket players on tour from India challenged local cricket players to a friendly tournament designed to put the popular overseas sport in the spotlight.

California Cricket Academy sponsored the T20/20 cricket tournament between the Bay Area Pathans and the Indian television stars at the event.

The all-day event, organized by AAA Entertainments, a Fremont-based entertainment company, included a half-time dance performance, a booth to take photos with the Bollywood stars, karaoke and a DJ.

The prominent Indian television stars are touring the U.S. for the first time as cricket team, said Manav Gohil, captain of the Boxy Boyz club cricket team from Bollywood, India's popular film industry in Mumbai. 

"We're out here promoting cricket because India basically feeds on cricket and Bollywood," Gohil said. "Cricket, being an integral part of our existence, we thought it'd be great to bring cricket and actors here."  

Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport involving two 11-player teams trying to score as many runs as possible in a match in order to win. Much of the game's activity takes place on a 22-yard rectangle known as a "pitch" in the center of an oval-shaped field. 

While one player referred to as a batsmen is at-bat, a player from the opposing team playing the field, called a "bowler," pitches the hard cricket ball trying to "dismiss," get out, the batsman, according to the British Embassy in the USA web site. 

For more information about the game of cricket or how to get involved in the Bay Area visit California Cricket Academy's web site.