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You may not think of LaGrange as the home of a new cricket stadium, but cricket is the second most popular sport in the world.
The developer believes if you build the cricket stadium the fans will come
Siddharth Das, CEO of the LaGrange Cricket Stadium, believes cricket can score big in Georgia. “Cricket is on the rise,” said Das. “Atlanta is a big hub. There is a lot of cricket activity in and around the Atlanta region.”
Das, founder of the Cricket Academy in New Jersey, heads the group planning to build the $50-million cricket stadium in LaGrange. “We will be able to host high-performance camps, full-blown cricket academy, even host international games,” he said.
His group has already bought a 45-acre site from Selig Enterprises next to Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange, part of a mixed-use development Selig is building, just off I-85 called Sola. That development will include hotels, single-family homes, apartments, office and retail space. The stadium will seat at least 10,500 fans and be privately funded.
When asked if taxpayers would foot the bill for any of the project, Das responded, “not at all.”
Das hopes to attract a pro cricket team. “Once we have this professional-grade stadium, we’re hoping to tap into some of those leagues,” he said.
Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world after soccer.
And there are sizable South Asian and Caribbean communities in Georgia, who love cricket. But can the sport succeed in LaGrange, 70 miles southwest of Atlanta?
Das said, “The weather suits us there. We don’t have too many winter months. We will be able to host other events as well. Our stadium is being designed to have a regulated FIFA field as well and a supporting area that will allow us to bring in other sports.”
When asked if the fan base is large enough to support cricket in Georgia, Kyle Townsend, a clinical assistant professor at GSU’s Day School of Hospitality answered, “maybe not in LaGrange proper.” (But) “there are enough people in Georgia, in Alabama, just across the border to make this a destination.”
Townsend said the cricket oval can compete in a land where the gridiron reigns king.
“It’s really a great location for people to get to,” Townsend said. “It’s not too far from Atlanta. It’s on the south side, so you’re already at the airport there.”
Das hopes to break ground for the stadium on November 6th and open in early 2027.
Townsend says the development could grow into a larger, sports-focused district, which could generate tens of millions of dollars for the area around LaGrange.
