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Sharma reflects on his challenging journey, even after founding his own cricket club.
In Australia, Cricket Australia dispenses financial support to states and territories, which is further channeled to clubs in various neighborhoods.
The Punjab Lions Cricket Club proudly poses with the 2025 LO1 (Limited Over Division 1) trophy, celebrating their triumph. Credit: Provided by Karan Sharma
However, the available funding is typically scarce, and it must be shared among more than 3,000 registered multicultural clubs nationwide.
We do not have an oval, we do not have nets, we put in money from our own pockets for the basic things.
Karan Sharma
Sharma said the club meets these organisations’ funding criteria.
Members of the Punjab Lions Cricket Club at a May event at which the club’s new management and sports committee was announced. Credit: Facebook / Punjab Lions
SBS Punjabi has viewed several emails that Punjab Lions wrote to SACA seeking funds without success.
When approached, SACA refused to comment.
‘A lot of learning and unlearning’
But it did not come without “a lot of learning and unlearning from both sides”.
Shankarettan Valibans (left) with friends he has made through grassroots cricket in Australia. Credit: Supplied by Shankarettan Valibans
His Australian teammates introduced him to the local barbeque culture, while he introduced them to samosas and veggie burgers, he told SBS Punjabi.
“We do not even have a clubroom. We are struggling for funds,” he said.
For the past two seasons, we did not have toilets next to our club, and we had to go across the Yarra to the other side of the river to access the community toilets.
Shankarettan Valibans
Valibans said that, as a community-based club that aims to offer a safe space to people, they often forgo the registration fee of players who are financially struggling, which reduces club earnings.
Shankarettan Valibans (right) with Oscan Jenkins (left), a friend he made while playing for the Toorak cricket club. Jenkins visited India many years ago to be the best man at Valibans’ wedding ceremony. Credit: Supplied by Shankarettan Valibans
“Many students work part-time and do not have enough to sustain [themselves]. In such cases, we forego the subscription fee to help new migrants,” Valibans said.
“For many new migrants who are fighting many financial, cultural, emotional and psychological battles of moving to a new country, cricket becomes the only avenue where they can be themselves.”
Access to funds
In a response to queries raised by SBS Punjabi, Cricket Australia acknowledged that some clubs with high multicultural participation “face challenges in accessing facilities and resources”.
We acknowledge that some clubs with high multicultural participation do face challenges in accessing facilities and resources.
A Cricket Australia spokesperson
“We also work with local councils and multicultural organisations to build awareness and secure long-term support for grassroots cricket.”
‘It’s not just a game’
The report states that there are many “intersecting reasons” for this lack of accessibility or equity, including:
- The cost of playing cricket
- A lack of systems literacy
- A clash of cultures and cultural identities
- Visa status and requirements
- Systemic and individual bias
- Discrimination and racism
- Language and religious barriers
- Gender norms
- Inequitable access to resources
- Lack of cultural and psychological safety
- Lack of representation
- Lack of childcare
- Non-inclusive policies and practices, and the Anglocentric nature of the Australian cricketing ecosystem
Vanessa Murray, author of the It’s Not Just Cricket report. Source: Supplied / Breeana Dunbar
The report’s author, Vanessa Murray, told SBS Punjabi: “Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world, but our sporting culture does not always reflect that.”
“Some players and clubs are experiencing overt racism and discrimination, others are locked out or are at a disadvantage as they are relative newcomers to Australian cricket.
“Access at the grassroots level is reflected in who gets to play professionally and at elite levels.”
Even though 21 per cent of players registered with Cricket Australia playing around Australia identify as being from a South Asian background, only 4 per cent of players in state and territories teams identify as South Asian Australians and at elite levels, the number is even less.
Vanessa Murray
In her report, she made multiple suggestions to address this issue, including having more people from diverse communities in the boardrooms where decisions regarding cricket are made.
Multicultural Action Plan
He told SBS Punjabi that, since the release of the Multicultural Action Plan in December 2023, Cricket Australia has “significantly increased” its direct engagement with diverse communities.
Ibrahim Muhammad told SBS Punjabi that some of Cricket Australia’s initiatives have resulted in “particularly promising” participation from the South Asian communities in grassroots-level cricket. Credit: Supplied by Ibrahim Muhammad
This includes having specific cultural stands at big international matches where people are encouraged to bring their culture with them, whether it’s bringing a dhol (percussion instrument) into the stadium or wearing the colours of their country of birth.
According to Muhammad, the participation of boys from a South Asian background in the five-12 year age group has increased by 20 per cent, while participation for girls in this range increased by 23 per cent as of May 2025.
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