(From left) Brothers Jay and Neel handing a trophy to Arul Selvan at The Cage @ Dempsey on July 20. - ST
SINGAPORE: Every Sunday morning, on their way to cricket practice, Neel Ramnarayan, 10, and his seven-year-old brother, Jay noticed groups of migrant workers playing cricket on a stretch of open grass outside the United World College (UWC) campus in Tampines.
Under the hot sun, these migrant workers would spend hours bowling and batting amid long blades of grass, and running between stumps kicked into the uneven ground.
“They would play on available open grass plains, but if you bowl on the grass, the ball would bounce very unevenly, or not bounce at all,” said Neel.
His brother Jay said: “They never get a chance to play the game properly... And we are able to do that every single day.”
When the brothers compared the pristine pitch they used for cricket training at the UWC campus with the bumpy grass areas the migrant workers played on, they felt a need to set things right.
Neel and Jay, who study at the Singapore American School, were introduced to cricket in 2020 by their father, Rajiv Ramnarayan, 43, a business owner in Singapore. Both of their parents are permanent residents, who moved here from India in January 2016.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the boys played mini matches at home with their father, before enrolling in a cricket academy to hone their skills.
Recognising that the migrant workers share a similar love and passion for the sport, the brothers decided to host a one-day cricket tournament at a proper playing facility.
In early 2025, the brothers invited migrant workers at a construction site outside the Singapore American Club to take part in a friendly cricket match the boys were organising.
Brothers Neel and Jay Ramnarayan organised the one-day cricket tournament at The Cage in Kallang so that migrant workers could experience playing on a proper pitch. - Courtesy of Gayatri Ramnarayan
“We printed posters and showed them to the workers. We got their contact numbers and asked them to tell their other friends to come as well,” said Neel.
The brothers also got help from It’s Raining Raincoats – a charity for migrant workers’ welfare – which helped spread the word and recruit more players.
About 40 migrant workers turned up on March 23, during the boys’ joint birthday celebration at The Cage in Kallang, to form four teams to play in the tournament.
The Ramnarayan family also served water, juice, fresh fruits and a warm home-cooked South Indian meal of sambar, rice and vegetables to all participants.
Calling the tournament a hit, Neel said: “We were shocked by how skilled they were. They played so seriously, and we could see how happy they were to be on a proper pitch.”
“For a few beautiful hours, it wasn’t just a game. It was a celebration of shared humanity... For Neel and Jay, the most powerful reward was the connection they felt and the new sense of purpose it gave them,” said their mother, Gayatri Ramnarayan, 42.
Encouraged by the success of their first event, the boys decided to work on a larger venture – to launch a Migrant Worker Premier League.
Instead of a one-day event, they envisioned an eight-team league that would play across several sessions, before one team would be declared champion.
To give it the feel of a professional competition, the league would include digital scoring and umpires.
Apart from their big ideas and good intentions, Gayatri, who works alongside her husband, said she wanted her sons to handle every aspect of this project.
The couple got their sons to plan out in detail the cricket league that the boys had come up with.
“They did the scheduling, coordinated with the venue, sourced recycled cricket gear, set up before matches and cleaned up afterwards. It was important that they saw the full picture, from planning to execution,” she said.
After months of preparation, the league kicked off on May 25, with about 80 migrant workers spending four hours every two weekends at The Cage @ Dempsey.
The family booked three pitches for four hours over six days in total. The last match in the league took place on Aug 3.
Rajiv and Gayatri Ramnarayan got their sons to plan out in detail the cricket league that the boys had come up with. - ST
Rasa Muthu Krishnamoorthy, 34, a migrant worker from India who has been working in Singapore for 13 years, took part in the competition with his friends and co-workers.
He told The Straits Times that he appreciated the opportunity to participate in a league like this on a proper pitch.
“My friends and I normally play on some grounds in Woodlands. Playing here on this court is very different, like the rules and the environment. It’s something we have not experienced before,” he said.
Another player, Arul Selvan, 40, who has been working in Singapore for 20 years, praised the boys’ initiative, which he said gave some migrant workers the opportunity to spend their days off enjoying a sport they love.
“Some migrant workers just stay in their dormitories, even when they are on leave. But now many of them have a chance to play here... This is very good, and we are all very happy,” said Arul.
Neel and Jay are already looking forward to expanding the league in 2026.
They have been approached by friends and non-profit organisations that have shown interest in sponsoring future leagues, but Gayatri said they will take things one step at a time.
Said Jay: “It makes us really happy when the players thank us.... It feels good that we can do something small that means a lot to them.”
The family is encouraged to see the impact this league has had and hopes to organise it regularly.
Rajiv said: “This all started because they noticed something and decided to act on it. It’s a simple idea, but they turned it into something real. And that, to me, is the most beautiful part.” - The Straits Times/ANN
