When Hollywood Introduced Cricket

Before the franchises, before the flash of Minor League and Major League dreams, cricket in Los Angeles had a different kind of glamour – born not in stadiums, but in the lawns of Griffith Park, under the curious eyes of Hollywood’s British stars who brought not just their accents but their love for cricket. It was the 1930s, and as tinsel town rose from the hills, so too did two clubs — the Hollywood Cricket Club and the Corinthian Cricket Club — founded by actors, migrants, and dreamers who refused to let go of the game that raised them.

Griffith Park & A Forgotten Legacy

They played on grounds nestled beside the now-iconic Griffith Observatory, fields that few remember today but once held the soul of Southern California cricket.

It was here that John Marder – a British expat who would go on to found the United States Cricket Association and secure ICC associate membership for America in 1965 – nurtured a vision. One of the four cricket fields at Woodley Park now bears his name, a silent reminder that LA’s cricket story is not new. It was simply forgotten.

A Second Migration, A New Cricket Home

In the 1980s and 90s, as immigration boomed and South Asian communities settled in droves, the sound of cricket returned. The city, with museums and monuments on old cricket turf, had pushed the game out of Griffith Park. But the community fought back – founding Woodley Park’s four lush fields in Van Nuys, a patch of real turf in the middle of Los Angeles where cricket never had to pretend it belonged.

“You wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it – four cricket grounds with 8 pitches each side by side, hidden in plain sight,” says Abhimanyu Rajp, Director of Los Angeles Cricket and Co-Owner of LA Lashings.

Abhimanyu, a former Team USA International, arrived in Los Angeles at the age of 14 in the year 2000. He remains a first hand witness of Cricket’s modern renaissance in Los Angeles.

26 Teams Then, 200 Teams Now

From just 26 club teams in the year 2000 to 200+ across the greater LA and San Diego area today, cricket grew not because of infrastructure or media attention, but because families, friends, and volunteers refused to let it die. The city has only just begun to invest — a mere $30,000 for pilot studies on the sport — but for decades, organizations like Southern California Cricket Association (SCCA), Los Angeles Cricket and other grassroots academies have carried the weight of development on their own shoulders.

“The grassroots haven’t waited for handouts. For years, everything being built in LA – leagues, camps, youth academies – has been done with the help of volunteers.” says Rajp.

Los Angeles Lashings, and a Ten-Year Gamble

In 2018, with whispers of Major League Cricket and Olympic inclusion growing louder, the founders of LA Lashings – born in 2019 as a commercial counterpart to LA Cricket’s nonprofit efforts – made a decision. They wouldn’t just play the game. They’d build a team. Funded from their own pockets, they committed to a 10-year plan, betting that if cricket entered the Olympics in 2028, LA had to be more than just a host city – it had to be the cricketing venue.

“We weren’t just preparing to compete,” Rajp recalls. “We were preparing to be ready when the world finally looked our way.”

Now that cricket’s return to the Olympics is confirmed for LA 2028, the final question remains — will Los Angeles itself get to host the matches?

“We’re at the ten-yard line,” said a senior official closely involved with the International Olympic Committee. “One more pass, and cricket’s in.”

Where Will Cricket Be Played in LA 2028?

No official stadium has been announced yet. But conversations are happening. Sites are being quietly scouted. Behind the curtain, the ICC, the LA Olympic Committee, USA Cricket, MLC, and city partners are working to ensure cricket is not just a guest at the Olympics — but a host. The city’s own stake in this future is growing. But it is the grassroots programs, local leagues, and minor league franchises like LA Lashings that have truly made the case that Los Angeles deserves this stage.

A Glimpse of the Future — Through the Eyes of An Olympic Aspirant

Ayan Desai was born in California, raised on American schools and West Coast sun – but his dreams were always about cricket. He grew up watching cricket in Woodley Park, idolizing those who wore the USA jersey, and the dream was finally realized in September 2024 when he made his debut against UAE in Namibia. From the U-23 squad to his maiden call-up to the senior national team, Ayan represents the generation that didn’t just inherit the game – they built their identity around it.

“I always heard rumors about cricket coming to the Olympics but I never thought it’d be coming back in LA 2028. First we had the 2024 T20 world cup hosted in the United States and now we get to host cricket in the 2028 Olympics. This is really an exciting time to be a young cricketer in USA and hopefully I’ll get to be a part of history.”

A Small Step for Cricket, A Giant Leap for LA

Six teams. One format. A century later. Cricket is returning to the Olympics — a move many call small, even symbolic in a bid to position Cricket as a “global sport”. But for Los Angeles, it’s a moment that has been 90 years in the making. From the lawns of Hollywood to the spongy turf of Woodley, from forgotten pioneers like Marder to the kids now chasing national dreams, this city has carried cricket’s torch when the world wasn’t watching.

Now, the world will!