Buying Cricket Equipment for a Club or AcademyWhat to order, how much, and the six mistakes that cost the most
Equipping a squad is a completely different problem from buying one bat, and almost everything written about cricket equipment is written for the second one. Here is the version for whoever has to make the budget work.
Why squad buying is different
An individual buys one bat that fits them and looks after it. A club buys thirty items that have to fit a range of people, survive far more use, and be replaced on a budget somebody has to defend.
Three things change because of that.
- Durability outranks performance. An individual can choose a finer cleft for response. A club needs equipment that survives four sessions a week for two seasons.
- Fit matters more, not less. One person can buy their own size. Thirty standardised bats will fit perhaps a third of a squad properly.
- Consumables are the real cost. Bats are the visible spend. Balls and grips are where the money quietly goes.
Six ordering mistakes
Buying one grade for everyone
An academy orders thirty identical bats because it is simpler. Half the players are too small for them and the other half will outgrow them in a season.
Instead: Order by the squad, not by the number. Sizes and batting hands can be mixed within a single order at no extra cost, so there is no reason to standardise on one.
Buying up the range
The instinct that a better bat is better for a developing player. It is usually wrong.
Instead: Higher grades are selected for performance rather than durability — a finer cleft is lighter, less dense and less tolerant of the mishits an academy produces. Grade 2 Kashmir willow is denser than Grade 1 and genuinely the better tool for four sessions a week.
Using match balls in nets
The single most expensive habit in club cricket, and almost universal.
Instead: A net session puts far more impact through a ball than an innings does. Order two editions — a cheaper ball for nets and a durable one for matches — and label the boxes. This is the change that saves most money.
Skipping the protection items
Bats get the budget because they are visible. Thigh guards and abdominal guards get left off the order.
Instead: A player who has been hit hard on the thigh stops committing forward for weeks. In an academy that is a coaching problem, not just a comfort one — you are teaching technique the equipment is quietly undoing.
Not budgeting for preparation
Thirty bats arrive and go straight into nets unprepared.
Instead: Every leather ball bat needs four to eight hours of knocking in. Thirty unprepared bats is thirty bats that will fail early. Either buy mallets for the kit room or add our preparation service so they arrive ready.
Ordering once a year
One large order in March, nothing until the following March, and shortages by August.
Instead: Balls and grips are consumables. Plan two or three orders a season for those and keep the large equipment order annual. It also spreads the cash out, which most clubs prefer anyway.
Why buying up a grade is usually wrong
The instinct is reasonable and the reasoning is backwards, so it is worth setting out properly.
Higher grades of willow are selected for performance, not durability. A finer cleft is older, lighter and less dense — superb response, and less material to absorb repeated abuse.
Now think about academy use: four sessions a week, developing players, frequent mishits, often on hard or abrasive surfaces. That is exactly the workload that punishes a fine cleft.
Grade 2 Kashmir willow is denser than Grade 1. For an academy that is not a compromise — it is the correct timber. Our Academy Edition at ₹4,499 retail is built for exactly this, and it will outlast a finer bat costing several times more in the same nets.
Buy the higher grades for players who are middling the ball regularly and playing competitive matches. Below that, you are paying for consistency nobody in the squad can yet exploit, in timber that wears faster.
What an academy actually needs
| Category | What to order | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bats — leather ball | Academy Edition, sized across the squad | Denser Grade 2. Sizes and hands mixable in one order. |
| Bats — tennis ball | Hard tennis bats | No preparation needed. Useful for younger groups and warm-ups. |
| Batting pads | Killer Edition, Mens and Youth | Handed — order both right and left hand. |
| Gloves | From ₹1,999 retail | Also handed. Sausage finger for maximum protection. |
| Thigh guards | Sets — outer and inner | Most under-ordered item. Affects coaching, not just safety. |
| Abdominal guards | One per player | Non-negotiable. Cheap enough there is no argument. |
| Balls | Two editions — nets and match | See below. The biggest avoidable cost. |
| Mallets | A few 1000g mallets for the kit room | Thirty unprepared bats is thirty early failures. |
| Grips | Packs of six | Consumable. Order with every repeat order. |
On protection
The item most often cut from an academy order is the thigh guard set, and it is the one with the clearest coaching consequence.
A player hit hard on the front thigh stops committing forward — not as a decision, but because the body has recent evidence that driving hurts. The stride shortens, they stop getting to the pitch of the ball, and they start playing from the crease. That lasts weeks, and you will spend those weeks coaching against your own equipment list.
Balls: the biggest avoidable cost
If one change saves a club money this season, it is this one.
Order two editions, not more of one.
- A cheaper ball for nets. Net sessions destroy balls — more deliveries, more repeated impact, several times a week. Our Strike is built for that.
- A durable ball for matches, built for the format you play. Thunder for 40 overs and above, Dominator for 50.
Label the boxes. It sounds trivial and it is the difference between a set of match balls lasting a season and lasting six weeks.
Two more things worth knowing. The outfield wears a ball out faster than the bat does, so a ball's over rating describes the ball rather than promising anything about your ground — on an abrasive outfield, expect less from any ball. And storage matters before the season starts: a box of balls left in a car boot over a summer is degraded before it faces a delivery.
More detail in choosing a leather ball and how long one should last.
How our wholesale terms work
| Minimum order | 30 units — products, sizes, colours and batting hands mixable within that thirty |
| Lead time | 10 days manufacturing on bats, plus transit. Bats are built to order, not picked from a shelf |
| Payment | Advance or against proforma invoice. No credit — and being straight about that is part of why the prices sit where they do |
| Freight | Free within India above ₹4,00,000. Actual charges below that |
| GST | Extra |
| Engraving | Free, up to 18 characters — club name, or name and number |
| International | 50+ countries. Freight quoted per order |
For the dealer price list — which shows MRP and dealer price side by side, so you can see the margin on every line — message us on WhatsApp with your club, academy or business name. Full details on our wholesale page.
Why buying direct changes the arithmetic
A bat that passes through a distributor, a wholesaler and a retailer carries three margins on top of the cleft — each added by a business that did nothing to the bat. At squad quantities, that compounds into real money.
Two things it changes beyond price:
Customisation becomes possible. Profile, handle shape, toe shape, size, weight and engraving are free on every bat we make, because the bat is being shaped after you order it anyway. A reseller cannot offer that at any price — the shaping decisions were made months earlier in a factory they do not control.
There is nobody in between when something goes wrong. A warranty conversation with a manufacturer is a conversation. With a reseller it is an argument between you, them, and a factory you cannot contact. At thirty units, that distinction eventually matters.
We make a maximum of forty bats a day, which is what allows every one to be built to a specification. It also means squad orders need planning rather than a phone call the week before a season — ten days, plus transit.
Questions clubs ask
What is your minimum order for clubs and academies? +
Thirty units. You can mix products, sizes, colours and batting hands within that thirty - it does not have to be thirty of one thing. For most clubs a first order is a spread across bats, protection and balls rather than a bulk buy of one item.
Can I mix different products in one wholesale order? +
Yes, and most clubs should. Mixing editions, sizes and hands within one order is how you actually equip a squad rather than standardising on something that fits half of them. There is no extra charge for mixing.
Do you offer credit terms? +
No. All orders are on advance payment or against proforma invoice. We would rather be clear about that than offer terms and then chase them - it is also part of why our prices sit where they do.
Is freight included on wholesale orders? +
Freight is free within India on orders above ₹4,00,000. Below that, actual freight charges apply. International wholesale is quoted per order - message us with the destination and quantities.
How long does a wholesale order take? +
Ten days for manufacturing on bat orders, plus transit. Bats are made to order, so that lead time is the bats being built rather than picked from a shelf. Accessories and balls ship faster. Plan around the ten days rather than assuming stock.
How do I get your dealer price list? +
Message us on WhatsApp with your club, academy or business name and what you are looking to order. We will send the current dealer price list, which shows MRP and dealer price side by side so you can see the margin on every line.
What should an academy order first? +
Bats sized across the squad, protection for every player who bats, and two grades of ball - a cheaper one for nets and a durable one for matches. Protection is the part most often under-ordered and the part that affects coaching most, because a player who has been hit stops playing forward.
Which bats are best for academy use? +
Our Academy Edition at ₹4,499 retail. It is Grade 2 Kashmir willow, which is denser than Grade 1 and better suited to high-volume net cricket - a finer cleft is lighter, less dense and wears faster under that workload. Buying up a grade for an academy is usually the wrong call.
How many cricket balls should a club order? +
Depends on your fixture list and how many net sessions you run, but the principle matters more than the number: order two editions rather than more of one. A cheaper ball for nets and a durable one for matches, kept separate and labelled. Most clubs waste more money on balls than on anything else.
Do you supply cricket kits in bulk? +
Yes, and you can mix sizes and batting hands within one order. Complete kits are often the sensible route for an academy equipping new players, because everything arrives sized together rather than assembled from separate orders.
Can we get our club name on the bats? +
Laser engraving is included free on every bat we make, up to eighteen characters. For a club order that usually means the club name, or the club name and a player number. Tell us what you want engraved when you place the order.
Do you ship wholesale orders internationally? +
Yes, to more than 50 countries. International freight is quoted per order because it depends on destination and volume. Message us with the country and quantities and we will give you a figure before you commit.
Sizing a squad? Our bat size guide, pad sizing guide and complete kit checklist cover what to measure before you order.
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Send us a squad list. We’ll send a quote.
Minimum 30 units, products and sizes mixable · 10 day manufacturing on bats · Free engraving up to 18 characters · Freight free in India above ₹4,00,000 · Ships to 50+ countries · Akshat and Utkarsh handle wholesale enquiries personally