Los Angeles – Meet Mayank Dayal, Business Head for LAKR

🏏 Building Cricket in Los Angeles — One Vision at a Time – Together

LA: It’s a pleasure to introduce Mayank Dayal, who joined the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) during this year’s Major League Cricket 2025 Season just six months ago and has already delivered something remarkable — a first-of-its-kind cricket experience reaching over 20,000+ people in person within just 48 hours at the BAPS Diwali Festival of Unity in Chino Hills.

I’ve been fortunate to surround myself with incredible names in the world of cricket — from representing Team USA on the field to now, through Los Angeles Cricket (LAC), helping grow the sport off the field. Working alongside Mayank has been one of those collaborations that make the journey even more meaningful.

When we first met at LAKR’s opening MLC game earlier this summer, I knew this partnership would be exciting. Soon after, LAKR asked our LAC team what we could do to bring cricket to life for the #WeAreLAKR campaign for the Los Angeles community as the Knight Riders prepare for their 2026 touchdown in LA.

🚀 The Task – Reach for the Masses

The assignment came in the form of the BAPS Diwali Festival of Unity — and the challenge was clear: make cricket visible and interactive for everyone.

The entire LAC team conceptualized, designed, and executed an interactive cricket zone from the ground up — complete with a 40-ft netted batting-cage trailer fitted with a bowling machine, a kids’ throw-down challenge to win free LAKR merch, and local coaches guiding parents and families on how to get involved in the sport right here in LA. We even had a Spanish translator to help us, and why not? This is Los Angeles after all. I am extremely thankful for TeamLA for their enthusiasm, help, and support.

The result? Non-stop crowds, Laughter, Energy, and Thousands of new fans discovering cricket for the very first time. A true testament to what collaboration and shared purpose can achieve.

🌴 Perspective

Over 25 years of living in Los Angeles, I have never visited any festival that featured cricket, let alone a batting cage and related kids’ activities at this level of volume. It made me realize what’s possible when passion meets purpose. Imagine what we all can do together.

In contrast, the largest cricket association in LA county has just 671 registered members — and that’s exactly why we hope this model inspires others who are trying to spread the game outside of their domains.

We need more leaders willing to step out of their comfort zones — like Mayank Dayal is doing — and take that leap of faith to build something bigger.

💬 Final Thoughts

As someone who has played and volunteered within the U.S. cricket ecosystem for over two decades, I’ve rarely seen an effort that captured such large-scale attention for the game within hours at a single location.

This event proved one thing: Cricket in Los Angeles is ready for lift-off — it just needs the right platform, and people across domains.

A huge thank you to Mayank and the entire Los Angeles Knight Riders team for trusting Los Angeles Cricket to help make this happen. The vision and the mission are aligning — and the future of cricket here looks brighter than ever in LA.

👉 Please follow Los Angeles Knight Riders on all socials, and if you could, let us know how we can help you, too. We’re also looking forward to sharing media and other exciting content from LAKR’s official social channels very soon.