How to Organize an Office Cricket Match (Without HR Calls)

Your manager said "let's organize a cricket match for the team." Six weeks later you're chasing 22 RSVPs, picking sides without offending the CTO, and wondering why HR is asking about insurance. Office cricket sounds like fun until you're the one organizing it.

This guide is the shortcut. It assumes you've never done this before, your company has 20-60 people, and you'd rather not turn this into a second job.

Pick the format before the date

Most office cricket runs into the same wall — booking a full 22-player ground for a team that can only field 14. Decide the format first; date and venue follow.

Two formats work best for office groups in Kathmandu:

• Box cricket (6-a-side): Indoor or netted ground, 12-16 people total, 90-minute match. Best if your headcount is uncertain.
• T10 outdoor: Open turf, 10-a-side, 2-3 hours total. Best if you can lock 22 confirmed players.

Box cricket is the safer pick for a first office match. Lower commitment, faster, and the rules forgive uneven skill levels. See Box Cricket in Kathmandu for venues and pricing.

The headcount math

Office RSVPs follow a pattern. Out of 40 invitees, expect:

• 60% will say yes initially (24 people)
• 75% of those will actually show up (18 people)
• Of those 18, maybe 14-16 will play (the rest will spectate, take photos, or leave early)

Plan for the show-up number, not the RSVP number. If you need 14 to play, invite at least 22. If you need 22, invite 35.

Picking a date that doesn't get rescheduled

Saturday morning is the gold standard. Specifically:

• Saturday 7-10am: Cool temperature, light traffic, families don't object
• Saturday 4-7pm: Good light but heavier traffic, and people drift home early
• Sunday: Reschedule magnet — half your team has family plans

Avoid:

• Last Saturday of the month (salary day errands)
• Festival weekends (Dashain, Tihar, Holi, Teej)
• The Saturday after a major company deadline (everyone is wiped)

Lock the date 3-4 weeks out. Anything less and people already have plans. Anything more and they forget.

Booking the venue

Cricket grounds in Kathmandu run Rs. 1,800-4,500/hour depending on quality, lights, and whether you get the whole ground or a section. Lalitpur grounds tend to run slightly cheaper than central Kathmandu options.

For a 16-person box cricket match, budget Rs. 2,500-4,000 for a 90-minute slot. For a 22-person T10 on a proper ground, budget Rs. 5,000-9,000 for 3 hours.

A few questions to ask before booking:

1. Is the deposit refundable if it rains? (Monsoon dates need this answer in writing.)
2. Are bats, stumps, and balls included, or do we bring our own?
3. Is parking on-site for 8-10 cars and 15 bikes?
4. Are there changing rooms and clean toilets?
5. Are spectators allowed, and is there shaded seating?

See Cricket Grounds in Kathmandu and Cricket Grounds in Lalitpur for current options. Or just filter cricket venues on Maidaan directly.

The kit question

Office cricket has one consistent failure mode — kit. Specifically, three people forget shoes, two forget the bat, and nobody brings stumps.

Solve it by either:

1. Booking a venue that supplies full kit (most box cricket venues do, ask before paying)
2. Assigning one person to bring kit — give them Rs. 1,500-2,500 cash to buy/borrow what's missing
3. Asking each person to bring one item with a checklist in the chat ("Anil = bat, Pratik = stumps, Sneha = ball")

Option 1 is the cleanest for first-time organizers.

Teams: don't let the boss pick

The boss-picks-teams approach guarantees politics. Use a fairer method:

• Random draw with seeding: Rank everyone roughly into 3 tiers (strong/medium/new). Draw randomly within tiers and distribute across teams.
• Snake draft by two non-management captains: Captains alternate picks. Best when the group already knows each other's level.

The CTO does not need to be on every winning team. See Drafting Fair Teams for a Pickup Game for the full method.

Food, drinks, and the bit everyone remembers

The match might be cricket, but the conversation afterward is what people remember. Plan it deliberately.

For 16-22 people, budget Rs. 4,000-9,000 on food, depending on whether you do:

• Light: Samosas, chiura, water, soft drinks — Rs. 4,000-5,500
• Medium: Momo, sekuwa, chiura, drinks — Rs. 6,000-8,000
• Full: Plated daal-bhaat or sekuwa platters at a nearby restaurant — Rs. 8,000-15,000

Most cricket venues let you bring outside food if you tip the staff a few hundred rupees. Some have tie-ups with nearby restaurants for delivery. Ask when you book.

Insurance, injuries, and the HR conversation

Most companies don't think about this until someone tears a hamstring. For a one-off office match:

• Brief HR before booking — "we're organizing an optional weekend cricket match, here's the venue and date"
• Confirm whether company insurance covers off-site, non-work activities (usually no, but ask)
• Have one person carry a basic first-aid kit — band-aids, ice spray, pain spray, water
• Set the rule: anyone who feels unwell sits out, no exceptions

If your company hosts these often, push HR to add sports-activity coverage to the next group plan renewal. See First Aid Basics Every Sports Group Should Know.

The 48-hour-before message

Send this to the office chat 48 hours before:

Office cricket — Saturday 8am at [venue + Google Maps link]

Format: 14-a-side T10 (rolling subs welcome)
Arrive by: 7:30am for warm-up
Kit provided: bat, ball, stumps, helmets
Bring: indoor cricket shoes or trainers (no spikes if turf), water bottle, sunglasses, cap
Cost: covered by company / Rs. 300 each via eSewa to [number]
Breakfast: post-match at [restaurant] (covered)

Confirmed: 22 players, 6 spectators
Rain plan: rescheduled to next Saturday, same time

Questions → DM me before Friday EOD.

The clarity is the point. Vague messages create vague turnouts.

After the match

Three things to do within 48 hours after:

1. Share photos in the office channel (assign someone with a decent phone camera)
2. Send a thank-you to whoever helped — kit-bringer, food-orderer, anyone who showed up early
3. Ask "next one when?" — gauge appetite. If 60% say yes, lock the next date within the month

If it went well, you've just become "the person who organizes office sports." Set expectations early — you'll do this twice a year, not twice a quarter, unless you're getting paid for it.

How Maidaan helps

Maidaan lets you filter cricket venues by capacity, location, and amenities — including the ones that supply full kit. You can book the slot, pay the deposit, and share the venue link with your office chat in under five minutes. For recurring company matches, the same venue can be re-booked at the same time without restarting the search.

Lock the venue first

Pick your Saturday, then browse cricket venues on Maidaan, filter by capacity 16+, and book the slot before announcing in the company chat. The booking forces the date — and that's how office matches actually happen.