Legends League allows long deprived fans to enjoy cricket again in Kashmir

A T20 cricket league’s arrival in Srinagar attracts thousands of fans but leaves question marks over the sport’s future in the disputed valley.

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir – When Wasif Ahmad, a 34-year-old shopkeeper from Srinagar, saw a billboard announcing the arrival of international cricket stars in his hometown, he promptly bought tickets and decided to shut his business on the day of the match.

Ahmad, like thousands of cricket-mad Kashmiris, cared little for the lack of glitz and glamour in the Legends League Cricket (LLC) – a franchise-based T20 cricket league involving former international cricketers – he simply couldn’t miss an opportunity to watch a live cricket match.

With the arrival of the LLC’s seven matches in Srinagar from October 9 to 16, cricket finally returned to Indian-administered Kashmir – one of the world’s most heavily militarised regions and synonymous with uprisings against the central Indian government’s control.

Ahmad, an avid cricket fan, grew up playing the game and listening to his father’s tales about the two international cricket matches that Kashmir hosted in the 1980s – but had never been to one.

“Seeing international cricketers play live [in Kashmir] felt like a distant dream to me,” Ahmad told Al Jazeera while watching the Gujarat Greats take on the Konark Suryas Odisha at Bakshi Stadium, the region’s oldest sports venue in the heart of Srinagar.

Cricket fans of all age groups formed long snaking queues outside the stadium under the stern glare of security personnel. Families with young children and groups of women flocked to watch their first live cricket match.

Inside the stadium, a vibrant crowd packed the stands ahead of the 7pm (13:30 GMT) game that stretched late