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More than 1,500 aspirants appeared for cricket umpire exams conducted by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and Maharashtra Cricket Association, highlighting the growing appeal of officiating. Former cricketers, professionals and women are embracing umpiring, driven by opportunities in the WPL and domestic cricket, with many valuing their continued connection to the game over earnings.

Chennai: On the last Sunday of June, a little more than 950 men, 63 women and a lone trans person hurried into classrooms across Tamil Nadu’s five biggest cities to write a professional exam not to secure their future, but to realise unfulfilled ambitions in a sport they loved since childhood.

The 1000-plus candidates were appearing for a state panel umpires examination conducted by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) in Chennai, Madurai, Trichy, Coimbatore and Salem; the association hailed it as a landmark day for the state cricket. Likewise, on the other side of the Western Ghats, 447 candidates appeared for the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA)’s Umpires exam in Pune, which the body said was a ‘record-breaking’ turnout.

Long-time stakeholders say that the unprecedented response to exams is an indication of two realities: firstly, those who failed to realise their cricketing dream have found a way to still stay close to the game. Secondly, they can earn a healthy income, respect and recognition, while doing that. Additionally, with the massive popularity of Women’s IPL, umpiring has ceased to be an exclusive playground for men, as seen in the gender profile of candidates in the TNCA exam.

Kaushik Gandhi (36), a Tamil Nadu-cricketer turned umpire who’s also officiated in the IPL, says that many who have played the game competitively are turning to umpiring. Apart from him, the successful transition of Ajitesh Argal and Tanmay Srivastava, who were Virat Kohli’s teammates when India U-19 won the 2008 World Cup, is seen as major encouragement for the switch.