First ever under-lights cricket tournament at militancy-hotbed Pulwama try to heal old wounds

The first-ever under-lights and live cricket tournament in once militancy-hotbed Pulwama, 30 km south of Srinagar, has bowled over locals, who are looking for healing of old wounds and rare late-night entertainment.

Just meters away from the grenade attack site, which left 17 security personnel injured on August 24, 2916, a black flex board reads: Royal Premier League Pulwama with names of 10 teams on it.

Pulwama town is home to several slain militant ‘commanders’, protesters who sustained physical disability in demonstrations in 2016 and the families of scores of jailed youths, but locals see the tournament, a rare reason to have smiles back on their faces.

“A town that would shut before sunset had a crowd of over 25,000 gripped to a tense match till 2 a.m. on August 26. Every ball was cheered for, and every run celebrated. It was a rare sight to see a traffic jam in Pulwama in the middle of the night. All had smiles on their faces,” Muhammad Ashraf, a local and cricket lover, said.

Irfan Ahmad Bhat, 27, is the brain behind the under-light tournament with first time technological services like on-screen review, digital score board, English commentary and live transmission on social media.

“In the first hour of the live match on social media, a traffic of around netizens was witnessed. The enthusiasm of the crowd in the stadium was electric and unbelievable. We had to thin out crowds with the help of police after the first inning because of lack of space,” Mr. Bhat told The Hindu.

Rains on Wednesday (August 27, 2025) may have played spoilsport but Mr. Bhat plans to resume matches from Thursday (August 28, 2025) evening. “We will not call off any match and will ensure all teams play. We have put a reward money of ₹15 lakhs for the winning team, ₹8 lakh for runner up and a car for the man of the match. We want the best team to reach finals,” Mr. Bhat said.

The 10 teams participating in the tournament has invited players from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi too. “Our youth lacked exposure to under-light cricket and turf wicket. The aim of the tournament is to provide a platform to cricketers of the valley to train themselves under lights. This will help them emerge at the bigger platforms at the national level,” Mr. Bhat alias Sarkar said.

For Mr. Bhat, the cricket is also panacea for a major evil eating into vitals of the society in Pulwama. “Drug abuse is crippling youth of Pulwama. This will help wean away youth from drugs and attract to cricket,” he added.

Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, a local member of legislative assembly (MLA) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who also battles a case under UAPA, remained present at the stadium throughout the night to join the local youth.

“I personally believe our youth are living with deep trauma and anxiety, burdened by the uncertainty of their personal and political future. The space around them feels choked. Through this youth-led initiative— by the youth and for the youth, we tried to open a space for celebration, hope and happiness,” Mr. Parra said.

Mr. Parra, however, is quick to add: “It is not a declaration of peace, but an urge to remain sane and find joy even in the hardest times. In those moments, it felt as if we were healing one another, laughing together over small victories, when so much of our legacy is gone”.

The first match between the Royal Goodwill and the Sultan Warriors was a nail-biter, with the final over getting to decide the winner. “Every corner of Kashmir is represented through teams. It’s a festival of cricket witnessed for the first time in Pulwama,” Mr. Bhat said.

For Aquib Ahmad, whose bakery shop is on the road, it was a rare scene to see crowds looking for food items in the dead of night. “Even on Eid, I have not stayed up so late at night. All food items were sold out by 1 a.m.,” Mr. Ahmad said.