Home/Leather Cricket Balls
Hand-Stitched · Alum-Tanned · Made in Meerut
Leather
Cricket BallsThree balls, sets of six, from ₹2,900 — that’s ₹483 a ball
Four-piece hand-stitched alum-tanned cowhide over a wound cork core, at the full 155–163g match weight. Red, white and pink. Made in our own Meerut facility and sold direct to clubs and players.
Overview
Buy leather cricket balls online, direct from the manufacturer
Ciel Sports makes three leather cricket balls in our own workshop in Meerut — from the cork core through to the hand-stitched cover. All three are four-piece, hand-stitched, alum-tanned cowhide at the full 155–163g match weight, in red, white and pink.
Every ball is sold as a set of six. That is how clubs, academies and teams actually buy, so every price on this page is a set price — and every card also shows what that works out to per ball, because that is the number you are really comparing.
What changes between the three is the leather grade, and therefore how long the ball stays good. Not the construction, not the weight, not the stitching. Choose on how many overs the ball has to survive, and the decision makes itself.
The full range · Sets of 6
Three leather cricket balls
Same four-piece hand-stitched construction, same 155–163g match weight, same three colours. The leather grade is what changes.
Built for twenty overs rather than fifty — which is a different job, not a cheaper one. Seam stays proud through the powerplay, bounce stays true when it is being hit flat.
Forty-plus overs of league cricket, then into the nets bag rather than the bin. The ball most clubs end up ordering by the season.
Our highest grade of cowhide over a wound core. Built to be recognisably the same ball in the fortieth over as it was in the tenth.
Side by side
Strike vs Thunder vs Dominator
The per-ball column is the one worth reading. A club buying several sets a season is doing that division anyway.
| Ball | Match life | Best for | Leather | Set of 6 | Per ball | Was |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strike | T20 match life | T20 & short-format | High-quality alum-tanned leather | ₹2,900 | ₹483 | ₹4,300 |
| Thunder | 40+ overs | Club matches & practice | Premium alum-tanned leather | ₹3,800 | ₹633 | ₹4,900 |
| Dominator | 50+ overs | Tournament & 50-over | Alum-tanned premium cowhide | ₹4,900 | ₹817 | ₹5,700 |
All three: 4-piece hand-stitched · wound cork core · 155–163g · 22.4–22.9cm · red, white and pink · made in Meerut.
Start here
How long does the ball need to last?
That is the whole decision. Everything else about these three balls is identical, so the only question worth asking is how many overs you need out of one.
Twenty overs — the Strike
A T20 ball has a different job from a fifty-over ball, and building it to a lower leather grade is the right specification rather than a compromise. What matters is that the seam stays proud through the powerplay and the bounce stays true when the ball is being struck flat. What happens in the fortieth over does not matter, because there is no fortieth over. ₹483 a ball.
Forty overs and the nets — the Thunder
Most cricket is not a fifty-over final. It is a Saturday league game and three nets sessions, week after week. Clubs do not buy one ball, they buy sets repeatedly, so the real question is which ball gives the most cricket per rupee across a season. The Thunder holds its seam through a league innings and then goes into the nets bag rather than the bin. ₹633 a ball.
Fifty overs — the Dominator
Any ball is good for ten overs. The entire difficulty of making a leather cricket ball is what happens between over thirty and over fifty. Our highest grade of alum-tanned cowhide over a wound core, with a pronounced hand-stitched seam, built to be recognisably the same ball at the end of an innings as at the start. ₹817 a ball.
Choose your colour
Red, white or pink?
Identical construction, identical weight. Only the dye changes — but which one you want depends entirely on when you play.
Test and day first-class cricket. Best visibility against a green outfield in daylight, and the traditional ball for the long format.
Limited-overs cricket under floodlights. Far more visible than red under artificial light, which is why ODIs and T20s use it.
Day-night Test cricket. Combines red-ball durability with visibility through twilight, when red disappears and white glares.
Official standards
Cricket ball weight — the regulation figures
Ball weight is set by the Laws of Cricket and differs by category. Every ball we make is weighed and measured before packing to confirm it falls inside the men's range.
| Category | Ball weight | In ounces | Circumference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's cricket | 155.9–163g | 5.5–5.75 oz | 224–229mm |
| Women's cricket | 140–151g | 4.94–5.32 oz | 210–225mm |
| Junior, under 13 | 133–144g | 4.69–5.08 oz | 205–220mm |
We currently make balls to the men's standard only. If you need women's or junior weights for a club or academy, message us on WhatsApp and we will tell you what we can do.
Behind the seam
How a leather cricket ball is made
A cricket ball is one of the most precisely built objects in sport, and almost nobody has seen one being made. This is ours, from cork to finished seam.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 · Cork core | Cork granules are compressed into a precise sphere. This determines the ball's bounce, and it is where the weight starts. |
| 2 · String winding | The core is wound tightly with string under controlled tension, building density and shape and bringing the ball toward regulation weight. |
| 3 · Cutting & dyeing | Four pieces of alum-tanned cowhide are cut and dyed red, white or pink, then shaped to fit the wound core. |
| 4 · Hand-stitching | Craftsmen in Meerut stitch the seam by hand in six rows. That raised ridge is what a bowler grips and what makes the ball swing. |
| 5 · Weight check | Every ball is weighed and measured before packing to confirm it falls inside the 155–163g match range. |
Looking after them
Ball care — and the one mistake almost everyone makes
| Do this | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Dry it before storing | Damp leather softens permanently and loses shape. Wipe the ball down and let it dry at room temperature after every session. |
| Polish one side, not both | Swing comes from the difference between the two sides. Polishing the whole ball evenly removes exactly the asymmetry that makes it move. |
| Keep it out of direct sun | Sunlight dries and cracks the leather cover, and a cracked cover will not hold a seam. |
| Store cool and dry | Never a car boot and never a damp kit bag. Heat and moisture are what age a ball fastest between matches. |
The mistake is polishing both sides. Swing comes from the difference between a shiny side and a rough one — air moves differently over each, and that imbalance is what bends the ball's flight. Polish the whole ball evenly and you have made it beautifully symmetrical and stopped it swinging. Shine one side, leave the other alone.
Written by the manufacturer, not a review site
Why buy leather cricket balls from Ciel Sports
Hand-stitched, every seam
The seam is the working part of a cricket ball. It is what a fast bowler grips to hold the ball upright and what a spinner uses for purchase. A hand-stitched seam sits more proud and holds its shape far longer than a machine-stitched one, and when a seam flattens the ball simply stops moving. Every ball we make is stitched by hand in Meerut, in six rows.
Alum-tanned cowhide, not chrome-tanned
Alum tanning produces a firmer hide than the chrome tanning used on cheaper balls. Firmer leather holds its shape under repeated impact rather than going soft and out of round, which is the failure that actually ends most cricket balls long before the cover wears through.
Every ball weighed before it is packed
Match weight is 155 to 163 grams and there is no leeway in it. Every ball we make is weighed and measured before packing rather than sampled by batch, because a ball outside the range is not a cheaper ball, it is an unusable one.
Factory direct — which matters most on balls
Clubs buy balls repeatedly, season after season, so distributor and retailer margin compounds on this category more than on anything else you buy. We manufacture in Meerut and sell direct. Over a season of six-ball sets, that difference is the largest saving in your whole kit budget.
Questions players ask
Leather cricket balls — frequently asked questions
How much does a leather cricket ball cost? +
Our leather cricket balls are sold in sets of six. Strike is Rs 2,900 a set, which is roughly Rs 483 a ball. Thunder is Rs 3,800, roughly Rs 633 a ball. Dominator is Rs 4,900, roughly Rs 817 a ball. All three are four-piece hand-stitched balls at the full 155 to 163 gram match weight - what changes between them is the leather grade, and therefore how long the ball stays good.
Are the balls sold individually or in sets? +
In sets of six. That is how clubs, academies and teams actually buy balls, and it is why every price on this page is a set price. If you need a single ball or a different quantity, message us on WhatsApp at +91 95481 82993 and we will sort it out.
What is the standard cricket ball weight? +
For men's cricket the ball must weigh between 155.9 and 163 grams, which is 5.5 to 5.75 ounces, with a circumference of 224 to 229 millimetres. Women's cricket uses a lighter ball at 140 to 151 grams, and junior cricket under 13 uses 133 to 144 grams. Every ball we make is weighed and measured before packing to confirm it falls inside the men's range.
Which leather cricket ball should I buy? +
Choose on how long the ball needs to last. Strike at Rs 2,900 for T20 and short-format cricket, and for balls that will spend most of their life in the nets. Thunder at Rs 3,800 for club matches and practice, which is what most teams order by the season. Dominator at Rs 4,900 for fifty-over cricket and tournaments, where the ball has to hold shape and seam through a full innings.
What is a leather cricket ball made of? +
Three things. A cork core at the centre, string wound tightly around it for density and shape, and a four-piece alum-tanned cowhide cover stitched together by hand in six rows to form the raised seam. Alum tanning produces a firmer hide than chrome tanning, which is what lets the ball hold its shape and its seam through a long innings.
What is the difference between red, white and pink cricket balls? +
The construction is identical and so is the weight. Only the dye changes. Red is used in Test and day first-class cricket and shows up best against a green outfield in daylight. White is used in limited-overs cricket under floodlights, where it is far more visible than red. Pink is used in day-night Tests, because it keeps red-ball durability while staying visible through twilight when red disappears and white glares.
Why does the seam matter so much on a cricket ball? +
The seam is what a bowler grips and what makes the ball move in the air. A pronounced hand-stitched seam gives a fast bowler something to hold the ball upright with, and gives a spinner purchase to turn it. When a seam flattens the ball stops swinging and stops gripping. That is why we hand-stitch every ball rather than machine-stitching, and it is the single biggest difference between a good ball and a cheap one.
How should I look after a leather cricket ball? +
Dry it before storing, because damp leather softens permanently and loses shape. Polish one side rather than both, because swing comes from the difference between the two sides and polishing evenly removes exactly that. Keep it out of direct sunlight, which dries and cracks the cover. Store cool and dry rather than in a car boot or a damp kit bag.
How many overs does a leather cricket ball last? +
Strike is built for T20 match life, Thunder for 40 or more overs, and Dominator for 50 or more. Those figures are match life. A ball that has finished its match life is usually still perfectly good for nets, which is where most balls do the majority of their work. What ends a ball for good is a cover that has gone out of shape or a seam that has flattened, not scuffing.
Do you supply cricket balls to clubs and academies in bulk? +
Yes, and it is most of what we do with balls. Every order is already a set of six, and larger orders for a full season are straightforward. Message us on WhatsApp with the quantity, the ball and the colours you need and we will quote directly. Mixed colour orders across a season are no problem.
Do you ship leather cricket balls internationally? +
Yes, to more than 50 countries including the UK, Australia, USA, UAE, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. Shipping within India is free. International shipping is calculated at checkout with typical delivery of 8 to 14 days.
Which cricket bat should I use with a leather ball? +
A bat built for leather ball cricket, which means English willow or Kashmir willow rather than a hard tennis bat. Our Kashmir willow range starts at Rs 4,499 and our English willow range at Rs 7,999. Using a hard tennis bat against a leather ball will damage the bat quickly, because it is the wrong timber and the wrong construction for a 156 gram ball.
Complete the kit
Bats built for leather ball cricket
A leather ball needs a bat made for it. Hard tennis bats are the wrong timber and the wrong construction for a 156g ball, and they will not survive one.
Buying from outside India? Local pricing and delivery on these pages:
Made in Meerut
Order balls for your club
Three balls from ₹2,900 a set of six · 4-piece hand-stitched alum-tanned cowhide · Wound cork core · 155–163g match weight · 22.4–22.9cm · Red, white and pink · Free shipping across India · Ships to 50+ countries · Akshat and Utkarsh answer every message personally