Bangalore Tour – Dulwich CC

Dulwich Cricket Club had originally planned an overseas tour to Lahore, Pakistan through AJ Sports Tours. But as political tensions escalated and logistics became difficult, the plans had to change. Bengaluru (Bangalore) stepped up, and in the end it felt less like a backup option, and more like the tour we were meant to take.

What followed was a 10-day tour built around four fixtures, with rest days in between (essential for a squad of soft English people adapting to 30°C heat, turning wickets and 6am wake-up calls to get ready for the tour bus).

Cricketing Highlights

Just Cricket Academy (JCA)

Our main hosts were the outstanding Just Cricket Academy, based near Yelahanka in north Bengaluru. It’s a proper facility - first-class standard ground, turf wickets, indoor and outdoor nets - and around 100–120 boys and girls aged 11–22 live and train there (some for a whole year!), many aspiring to professional or state-level cricket.

We played three matches against their senior academy players and coaches. The standard was exceptional - disciplined bowling, calm batting, clever field settings. What really struck us was this: cricket in India is played very seriously. Every run is contested, every appeal is made like it’s the World Cup Final. Yet, it’s also played with joy - smiles, laughter, fist bumps. Even when we were outclassed at times, we were never patronised, never let off. They wanted to beat us properly - and that gave the matches a real feeling of India vs England in miniature.

Our squad included women players, including our wicketkeeper - something that drew real interest from JCA. For the final game, Just Cricket selected two of their women players - one wicketkeeper and one bowler - both supremely talented. It showcased the impressive standard of women’s cricket being developed at the academy, not long before the India women’s team triumphed at the World Cup. We also had the chance to meet the 

performance and conditioning coach for the Karnataka men’s state team, who were training at JCA in between tournament games. She certainly put them through their paces. 

At the end of the final match, JCA hosted an awards ceremony for both teams - an incredibly thoughtful touch.

Samprasiddhi Cricket Academy

Our third match was at Samprasiddhi, in the eastern part of the city. The ground sits under the shadow of the imposing Haj Bhavan and surrounded by fast-growing construction - old India, new India, and cricket at the heart of it. Again, we faced serious cricketers - several already involved in Karnataka state age-group squads. The wickets turned, the quicks were sharp, and the competition was intense but always respectful.

Facilities, Hospitality & Conduct

Every ground we visited offered immaculate turf wickets, proper umpires, scorers, drinks intervals and delicious lunches catering for veg requirements as you’d expect. Hospitality was faultless - endless chai, snacks, shade, and generosity everywhere.

The conduct of matches was everything you’d want from a tour: competitive, respectful, no theatrics. Cultural differences added charm rather than friction - spinners appealing even when the ball hit the bat, fielders celebrating a wicket before waiting for the umpire, and some very funny sledging from young wicketkeepers. It was honest cricket, fiercely played, and utterly addictive.

Life in Bangalore

For many of us it was our first experience of India. Bengaluru wasn’t the overwhelming frenzy people imagine. It’s India’s “Garden City” - lush, tree-lined, full of parks like Cubbon Park and Lalbagh Botanical Gardens - and also India’s Silicon Valley, home to Infosys, Wipro and thousands of tech startups. The traffic though is something else, but Tuktuks and Ubers are cheap and plentiful.

Visiting in Diwali - the festival of lights - was magical. Every street corner was decorated and thousands of fireworks lit up the night sky and sometimes in slightly too close proximity! One of our party had the chance to visit three Hindu temples for quiet reflection and take blessings. Sadly Lord Shiva’s beneficence wasnt translated onto the pitch. 

We spent time exploring:

• Bangalore Palace – Tudor architecture meets Indian royalty.

• Vidhana Soudha – the granite powerhouse of Karnataka’s government.

• M. Chinnaswamy Stadium – home of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Karnataka cricket; we got an exclusive tour of the ground and watched the state U25s train on the main square.

• Bangalore Turf Club – the historic racecourse in the city centre.

• Bangalore’s Cricket shops - Some incredible deals to be had - most of the team filled their kit bags to bursting.

One of our party also visited the Bannerghatta wildlife reserve to see elephants, tigers, leopards and lions up close from a safari jeep, just outside of the city in a vast unspoiled forest. The breathtaking Mysore Palace is also a few hours train or taxi from Bangalore.

Everywhere we went - local markets, cafes, taxi rides, and even casual street cricket near Cubbon Park - we were met with warmth and were afforded hassle-free freedom of the city. The food was utterly delicious and not one of our party had to miss a game with a delicate condition.

Cultural Takeaways

• Cricket in India isn’t just a sport - it’s a language spoken with intensity and joy in equal measure.

• Players take it incredibly seriously - but never without a smile.

• Women’s cricket is growing fast, and the talent at academies like JCA is exceptional.

• No one let us win. And we loved that.

• Spin bowling is a mystery we thought we understood - until we didn’t.

Final Word

Bangalore turned out to be the perfect cricket tour: competitive fixtures, world-class hospitality, authentic cultural experiences and friendships we genuinely hope to keep. Playing against teams in the same city meant we built rapport, learned how Indian teams think about the game, and got a crash course in how to play spin properly (or at least how not to).

We’d recommend Bengaluru to any club looking for serious cricket played with heart, humour, and hospitality.

Dulwich CC will be back.