NCR’s midnight matches: Floodlights, friendships & fitness

It’s a Wednesday night in Noida, and a bunch of edtech executives rush out from their office in Sector 126. It’s the end of their eight-hour shift, but they aren’t headed to the local pub.

They are going to Pitch Please, a box cricket turf in Sector 141. They change from their crisp officewear before striding onto the turf, secure their helmet straps and pad up quickly before the toss.
Arjun Singh Verma, co-founder of Hudle, an indoor sports facility that has venues across NCR, says around 2.5 lakh people play indoor sports each month, of whom 80-90% do so after 6pm. The popularity of night games is due to a growing number of busy young — and not-so-young — professionals who do not have time during the day for any physical activity, and thus choose to play under the lights.