Los Angeles Knight Riders & CricMax Cricket Development Partnership Across America

Los Angeles: Knight Riders Sports, owners of cricket franchises across four continents and one of the sport’s most recognised global brands, has partnered with CricMax Connect as the Official Cricket Development Partner of the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR).

The partnership, announced today by LAKR and CricMax Connect, will establish a national network of Knight Riders Cricket Academies to develop youth cricket across the United States.

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While over $300 million has already been invested in professional cricket infrastructure in the United States through Major League Cricket (MLC), momentum continues to build. Most recently, the Los Angeles Knight Riders and Fairplex broke ground on the Knight Riders Cricket Ground in Pomona, Los Angeles, which will be Southern California’s first dedicated cricket venues and LAKR’s official home ground for the 2026 MLC season.

The venue is set to host seven matches, including LAKR’s first three home fixtures from July 1-5. Along with these developments, it is equally important to build grassroots programs that create a feeder system for various leagues and encourage youngsters to take up the sport.

As the American audience grows rapidly for Cricket, among the 5.4 million-strong South Asian diaspora and beyond, this partnership is designed to bridge that gap by combining Knight Riders Sports’ globally proven franchise model with CricMax Connect’s decade-long track record in community cricket development, its established network of academies and township partnerships, and its exclusive role as the cricket partner of the PlayLA Olympic youth initiative.

This partnership further strengthens CricMax Connect’s position as a key growth engine for cricket in the United States ahead of the sport’s return to the Olympic stage at LA28.

As part of their long-term vision for cricket in the United States, the Los Angeles Knight Riders have unveiled the Knight Riders Cricket Grounds at Fairplex in Pomona, Los Angeles County, CA, as their official home venue for the 2026 season.

The venue is set to host key major cricket matches this season, marking an important step in establishing a dedicated cricketing base in Southern California. Beyond matchdays, this facility reflects the Knight Riders’ continued investment in building Los Angeles into a leading cricket destination in the United States while also supporting both professional competition and the growth of cricket at a grassroots level.

Under the agreement, the two organisations will jointly build Knight Riders Cricket Academies nationwide, supported by professional coaching programs, masterclass clinics, and talent exhibition pathways that provide young cricketers with direct exposure to best practices in the sport. CricMax Connect’s proprietary technology platform, Quixera, will power talent identification and scouting across the network.

Mr. Venky Mysore, CEO, Knight Riders Sports, said: “This partnership with CricMax Connect is a strategic step towards building a strong grassroots foundation for cricket in the United States. By combining our global ecosystem with their community-led expertise, we are creating a clear pathway from youth development to the professional game. As the sport grows in the United States, our focus is on nurturing talent, strengthening the ecosystem, and ensuring long-term, sustainable growth for cricket in America.”

“We’ve spent over a decade building cricket from the ground up in American communities, coaching youth, partnering with townships, and earning our place as the exclusive cricket partner of PlayLA and the LA28 Olympics,” said Vinay Bhimjani, CEO of CricMax Connect and former CEO of USA Cricket. “The partnership with Knight Riders’ and its global platform will enable us to bring our scouting expertise and technology infrastructure together with their franchise reach to deliver what American cricket has been missing: a complete ecosystem that develops talent at the grassroots and connects it to the professional game.”