Wichita State’s cricket team capped a milestone year by winning both the 35-over and T20 titles in the Two-State Cricket League — a rare back-to-back sweep in the league’s decades-long history. 

“This year has been historic for us,” said Sai Karthik Garnepudi, president and captain of the WSU Cricket Club and a Ph.D. candidate in electrical and computer engineering. “In more than 20 years of this league, only a few teams have ever achieved this.” 

For those unfamiliar with the nuances of the sport, Garnepudi says. “Cricket is pretty close to baseball,” he said. There are 11 players per side. A homerun in baseball is the same as six runs in cricket; and instead of running around the bases, players run back and forth on a on a 22-yard pitch. 

WSU competes in two formats from March through fall: a 35-over season with day-long matches and a faster T20 season. The club fields a deep roster — about 100 players — with more than 35 competing at a professional level. Most are graduate students from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 

In May 2024, Wichita State and the City of Wichita dedicated the club’s first cricket field at Dr. Glen Dey Park, a moment Garnepudi describes as transformative. 

“With the opening of our very own cricket field, we’ve reached new heights,” he said. “Having our own ground has made a huge difference. Now the field is close to campus, and we can play whenever we want.” 

The new field has also strengthened the team’s ties to the local community. Weekend matches regularly draw Wichita’s international families, many of whom grew up with the sport. 

“There are doctors and businesspeople who love the game but can’t watch matches in India because they’re on at midnight here,” he said. “So they come watch us.” 

Garnepudi said cricket is part culture, part comfort, part connection. 

“Cricket is more than a sport,” he said. “It brings students from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and beyond together as one Shocker family.” 

He believes the club’s diversity is a competitive edge — and a powerful source of belonging for international students. 

“Everyone has their own strategy and their own way of playing,” he said. “You make friends outside your comfort zone. You understand each other’s culture and thinking. That’s what makes us better.” 

And the sport is building a sense of community for international students who are far from home.  

“Through cricket, we’ve created a space where students feel at home in Wichita, a place where they can thrive academically, socially and emotionally,” he said.  

Few Midwestern universities can match Wichita State’s combination of a dedicated cricket field and a nationally competitive, student-run club — something Garnepudi sees as a strategic advantage. 

“With proper recognition, cricket can be a real asset in international student recruitment,” he said. 

The team plans to display its championship trophies on campus soon and is pushing forward on another goal: launching a women’s cricket club. “I’ve been working on that for three years,” he said. “I think we’re close.” 

For now, the Shocker Cricket Club is celebrating a breakout season, a new home field and a growing community built around the sport they love. 

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Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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