<p>Bengaluru: A 17-year-old cricketer is repurposing used and discarded bats and giving them away to underprivileged players from communities in Bengaluru and Mumbai. His initiative is called Bats for the Better.</p>.<p>Advait Swaminathan was born and raised in Singapore, where he continues to live. During his summer breaks, he would visit Bengaluru. He’d spend a few weeks training at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket (KIOC) on Gangadhar Chetty Road. “I have been coming to train here since I was six. I noticed that there were many talented players who could not afford good quality cricket equipment,” says Swaminathan, who was a member of the Singapore Under-16 squad.</p>.42 years of World Cup triumph: A Day that made Indian cricket what it is.<p>He realised that old bats, discarded by his teammates and friends who would frequently replace them as they outgrew them, could be put to good use by kids who needed better equipment. “When I visited Kashmir, I learned how cricket bats are made and how much wood is used. I also saw this as a way to reduce wastage. The price of a professional bat is upwards of Rs 20,000,” he explains. He teamed up with Pranav Dhanuka, who is part of the Singapore national cricket team. </p>.<p>The initiative was launched in October 2023 as an informal collection drive with donations from friends and acquaintances. Roughly a year later, he roped in David Bennett, the head of the cricket academy at Singapore Cricket Club, to hold a second drive. “We then held a collection drive in the academy to reach a larger pool of players,” he shares.</p>.<p>The collected bats are brought to Bengaluru and sent to a workshop for repairs and refurbishing. “It’s usually small scuffs, cracks, or loose handles which require small fixes,” he says. They are then handed to Irfan Sait, chief coach at KIOC, who donates them to deserving candidates. They have collected 50 bats so far, valued at Rs 10 lakh, he tells Metrolife. </p>.<p>While Swaminathan has not conducted a drive in Bengaluru, he hopes to do so soon. He is currently in Bengaluru for an internship and hopes to raise awareness about the initiative.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic"><em>To donate, email advait.swaminathan@ gmail.com.</em></span></p>
<p>Bengaluru: A 17-year-old cricketer is repurposing used and discarded bats and giving them away to underprivileged players from communities in Bengaluru and Mumbai. His initiative is called Bats for the Better.</p>.<p>Advait Swaminathan was born and raised in Singapore, where he continues to live. During his summer breaks, he would visit Bengaluru. He’d spend a few weeks training at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket (KIOC) on Gangadhar Chetty Road. “I have been coming to train here since I was six. I noticed that there were many talented players who could not afford good quality cricket equipment,” says Swaminathan, who was a member of the Singapore Under-16 squad.</p>.42 years of World Cup triumph: A Day that made Indian cricket what it is.<p>He realised that old bats, discarded by his teammates and friends who would frequently replace them as they outgrew them, could be put to good use by kids who needed better equipment. “When I visited Kashmir, I learned how cricket bats are made and how much wood is used. I also saw this as a way to reduce wastage. The price of a professional bat is upwards of Rs 20,000,” he explains. He teamed up with Pranav Dhanuka, who is part of the Singapore national cricket team. </p>.<p>The initiative was launched in October 2023 as an informal collection drive with donations from friends and acquaintances. Roughly a year later, he roped in David Bennett, the head of the cricket academy at Singapore Cricket Club, to hold a second drive. “We then held a collection drive in the academy to reach a larger pool of players,” he shares.</p>.<p>The collected bats are brought to Bengaluru and sent to a workshop for repairs and refurbishing. “It’s usually small scuffs, cracks, or loose handles which require small fixes,” he says. They are then handed to Irfan Sait, chief coach at KIOC, who donates them to deserving candidates. They have collected 50 bats so far, valued at Rs 10 lakh, he tells Metrolife. </p>.<p>While Swaminathan has not conducted a drive in Bengaluru, he hopes to do so soon. He is currently in Bengaluru for an internship and hopes to raise awareness about the initiative.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic"><em>To donate, email advait.swaminathan@ gmail.com.</em></span></p>