Rohit Sharma academy latest to shut shop in Dubai after Dhoni, Ashwin

Dubai is developing a track record of cricket academies named after illustrious names failing to live up to the hype after being launched with much fanfare. 'Hitman' Rohit Sharma, who has a chain of global academies run by CricKingdom, opened four centres in the emirate in collaboration with a local franchise last September, but it also shut shop abruptly in May.

The list is an awe-inspiring one, with the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravi Ashwin and Robin Singh starting their own initiatives, all of them shortlived. The lure of finding a market among schoolchildren of the diaspora also had a number of overseas stalwarts interested such as Aravinda D'Silva, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, but the projects made no headway.

CricKingdom joined hands with Grasport Sports Academy — a local company as the franchise holder — with a promise to offer top quality coaching mainly to children of the Indian diaspora in four schools. The association of brand Rohit Sharma worked like magic to woo trainees until Grasport suddenly closed down operations as they were getting financially untenable, leaving parents scurrying for refunds and office staff and coaches unpaid.

A report in leading English daily Khaleej Times earlier this week quoted one of the parents who received a message in the guardians’ WhatsApp group saying franchise holders Grasport would no longer run the academy and would handle refunds for the remaining sessions, a promise which has not been honoured so far.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's academy in Dubai had a short lease of life

Refuting the news of a closure, CricKingdom issued a statement saying this was only a pause and they would resume in a new avatar from September. “We understand the importance of providing a consistent, high-quality cricketing environment and we remain fully committed to restoring and continuing our academy’s presence in the UAE. CricKingdom is currently in the process of legally forming a new company in the UAE that will directly oversee operations, bringing enhanced infrastructure, certified coaches, and a renewed focus on student development,” the statement said.

It was back in 2017 that Mahendra Singh Dhoni, then at the peak of his prowess, arrived in Dubai to launch his first signature centre at the Springdale Academy in collaboration with local partners. He was followed by Ravi Ashwin, whose Chennai-based GenNext Cricket Academy collaborated with Kings’ Schools in Dubai, but neither are in existence now.

Former allrounder Robin Singh camped in Dubai for a while to kickstart the academy while he was UAE coach, but his academy ran into rough weather owing to contractual obligations.

Mazhar Khan, UAE cricket administratorI am not surprised that the recent venture has met with the same fate like past ones. The Sharjah Cricket Academy, which started way back in 1984, had groomed several national players for the UAE team. There is also a group of extremely committed local coaches in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi who have built a good ecosystem — which makes us question how feasible are the remotely controlled academies

What is it that makes the starry affairs fail while there is a healthy number of academies, including the one run by Sharjah Cricket Council since 1984, in business? Sudhakar Shetty, a veteran coach and owner of one of the Dubai-based academies, said what happened to Rohit Sharma was not a first.

‘’I have not seen any of the big names’ projects taking off on a long-term basis. While stars like Dhoni and Ashwin have only made fleeting appearances here, Robin Singh even camped in Dubai when he was UAE coach, but met with the same fate.

‘’In hindsight, I would also hold parents responsible as they are often too gullible. Initially, they enrol their children for a hefty fee with the hope of them receiving personal attention from these big names. Disappointment soon hits them hard and they pull out their children, leaving the franchise owners to take care of the establishment expenses. In the long run, sustainability becomes an issue,’’ said Shetty, founder of the MaxTalent Academy.

Presley Polonnowiita, head coach of Desert Cubs Academy, said: “A big star will make only a short trip or two per year though they allow their names to be attached to an academy. The local entity here wants continuity to the ideas of the star player and long-term plans without lapses. This was lacking in most of the mergers and ventures and hence, people got disappointed when they did not get the expected quality.’’

Mazhar Khan, a long serving administrator of Sharjah Cricket Council, felt there is no dearth of experienced and competent people in the UAE who have built an ecosystem to develop local cricketers over a long period.

Speaking to National Herald over phone, Khan said: ''I am not surprised that the recent venture has met with the same fate like past ones. The Sharjah Cricket Academy, which started way back in 1984, had groomed several national players for the UAE team. There is also a group of extremely committed local coaches in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi who have built a good ecosystem — which makes us question how feasible are the remotely controlled academies.''