CONTEXT AND PROBLEM
Cricket is one of the world’s biggest sports, but almost invisible in the U.S.
Cricket is the world’s second most played sport with over 2.5 billion fans. In South Asia, especially India, it is the top sport, with about 240 million (~17% of total population) people playing across all formats of the game.
In the U.S., basketball is the most played sport, with 8% of the population participating, while cricket remains largely absent. Source: Orax Media
Leagues exist, but only for the elite
My 12 semi-structured interviews revealed that newcomers are often discouraged, as the level of play tends to be highly competitive. Most organized formats are geared toward semi-pro and professional players, leaving little room for beginners or casual groups.
In the United States, about 204,000 people actively play the game across different formats. Source: usacricket.org
For many South Asians, Cricket is identity, and losing it comes with real costs
In India, 9/12, i.e., 75% people who play a sport choose cricket. Disconnection from the game impacts both mental health and community belonging.
THE BARRIERS
Among the 6M+ South Asian immigrants, including 5.4M Indians, most still struggle to play casually. Finding pick-up matches, coordinating players, and booking a venue is far harder than it should be.
The Affinity Map showed that finding players to play with was the biggest challenge most people faced.
India’s Street Cricket culture never translated abroad
Working Professionals have a harder time playing than Students
In a nutshell
Through my research and competitive analysis, I identified the main ways people can currently play cricket in the U.S.
SOLUTION
Skip the hassle, join a ready-made game
A mobile app designed to reconnect communities by making it easy for players to join pre-organized pick-up matches or book local venues to enjoy cricket together.
Pick-up Venues are Part of the ecosystem
Soccer venues have shown openness to hosting cricket during their unused hours, unlocking a wide network of potential locations.
Pick-up Cricket: A smaller, faster version of the game, adapted to fit soccer grounds and make casual play easy.
Equipment: Partnerships with cricket gear stores in the U.S. and abroad to secure cheaper bulk orders, backed by the promise of frequent purchases.
Built-in fairness through Karma Points
Subtle gamification discourages bad behavior while rewarding reliability, a proven approach used successfully by Reddit, and Duolingo.
Benefits
Lower Prices
Better Discounts
Lower Cancellation Fee
Gain Karma Points
Book Venues
Host Games
Play Games
Provide Reviews
Result of Bad Karma
Higher overall prices
Less Discounts
High Cancellation Charges
Penalties for mis-demeanor
IDEATION
Storyboarding the Experience
I used storyboarding to understand how hosts and players coordinate, uncovering pain points like unclear communication, last-minute changes, and missed updates. It grounded my solution in the real-world context of pick-up games and the need for timely notifications.
SKELETON
Mapping how players discover, join, and play through Wireframes
To bring these solutions to life in a way that’s both functional and easy to use, I started by designing a set of initial low-fidelity wireframes. These wireframes act as a visual blueprint for the Gully Cricket App, outlining how each core feature would work and how users would interact with them.
Information Architecture
VALIDATION AND EARLY RESULTS
Usability testing had a 95% success rate and an NPS of 80.
Post Testing Changes
Before
After
User testing revealed high errors and confusion in the “Book a Venue” task, making it a major friction point despite its importance in the flow.
MVP prototype using WhatsApp to run a real game
Using a WhatsApp MVP, a host coordinated equipment, venue, and players in Philadelphia. Polls set the schedule, and strong turnout led to three spirited, inclusive matches that exceeded expectations.
17
People showed up
3
Matches played in Total
33
People on Whatsapp Group
Soccer venues willing to host cricket in unused slots
I emailed 15 indoor soccer venue owners, proposing a casual cricket booking. I assured them we’d handle equipment/setup and asked about availability to test their openness to alternative sports.
15
Venues Contacted
as of Aug 2025
13
Agreed to allow
Cricket
02
Denied Request
Strong initial adoption signals
I integrated a waitlist plugin in Framer linked to Getwaitlist.com for a 72-hour test campaign, promoted via social platforms. The goal was to gauge interest and collect emails, with an initial benchmark of 5% sign-ups. Results far exceeded expectations: 20.2% of visitors subscribed, validating strong user interest and providing a solid base for next steps.
99
Visitors
20
Sign-ups
72h
Active
INSIGHTS AND LEARNINGS
Human challenges are harder
Late arrivals, no-shows, and heated conflicts were recurring issues in casual games.
Logistics matter
Good bats, balls, and wickets are hard to find, yet they’re essential for a proper game.
Convenience is key
Players showed strong willingness to pay for easier organization and guaranteed games.
Venues and leaders step up
Soccer venues welcomed cricket to fill idle time, and some community members emerged as organizers.
NEXT STEPS
Designing accountability into the experience
The karma system penalizes cancellations and late payments, keeping user behavior in check.
Ways to sustain revenue
Potential streams include per-game fees, subscriptions, venue partnerships, booking fees, and B2B analytics.
Where the app goes next
Future work includes refining wording through card sorting, building scalable equipment solutions, and testing real-time pricing models.
This is just one story. See what else I’ve designed
There’s a lot more where that came from. Browse through my other projects to see how I tackle problems, experiment with ideas, and create meaningful experiences.
