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The Rohit Sharma Cricket Academy in Dubai has shockingly shut down without warning! Parents are furious, demanding refunds, while coaches are left furious, fighting for their unpaid salaries.
In September 2024, the Rohit Sharma Cricket Academy was launched in Dubai with much fanfare under the CricKingdom by Rohit Sharma brand. The promise was to bring elite cricketing talents through this academy that would make the life for several young kids who aspire to become a cricketer as good as Rohit Sharma.
However, fast-forward to July 2025, just about 10 months after, the academy has now been shut down for mismanagement and financial issues.
The academy was operated by Grasport under a franchise agreement with CricKingdom. The Academy was marketed as an elite academy affiliated with the star Indian cricket team batsman Rohit Sharma. All the promotional images and videos prominently featured the former India all-format captain as the face of it.
It managed to bring in 35 families to admit their kids into the academy and had already paid annual fees in advance. They had only one dream, to see one day their kid become a cricket superstar by training under an academy that is affiliated with one of the world’s best modern-day cricketer Rohit Sharma.
But things got worse in 2025. Despite a promising start, the training sessions became irregular with no proper communication and by mid May 2025, the academy stopped all of its operation.
Sushil Sharma, the global operations head of CricKingdom, reached out to concerned parents via WhatsApp to share that Grasport will be closing its academy, assuring them that refunds will be provided to the families. Contrary to this claim, no refunds have been delivered to date.
Meanwhile, it wasn't just the families of the kids who were admitted to the academy, but even the coaches of the academy were left ruing their unpaid salaries. The academy hired several ICC certified coaches, including former international cricketers.
According to a report by the Khaleej Times, the coaches have not been paid their due salaries from April-May. Tiran Sandun Wijesuriya told the outlet, “I have no money to pay my rent. My landlord wants me out. I haven’t received a single dirham since May despite repeated assurances.”
Meanwhile former Sri Lankan cricketer Chamani Seneviratne let out similar frustration, “From the beginning, salary issues were a constant. Sometimes payments were delayed or partial. Since May, there has been nothing.”
Grasport founder Suhas Pudota has been found at the centre of all the controversies. He told Khaleej Times that he entered the UAE market with an ambition to build something big but lacked the financial muscle. He stated that running the academy was unsustainable due to high rent cost and poor financial planning.
Meanwhile, the parents of the 35 kids in the academy have turned to Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DED) and filed their complaints against the academy.
One parent told Khaleej Times, “We believed in the brand and paid a hefty amount upfront. We trusted the name Rohit Sharma, but now we are left in the dark.”
CricKingdom meanwhile has announced that they plan to launch a new cricket academy by September 2025. Some of the coaches have also been assured of a temporary position in India.
Meanwhile, there has been no official communication from the Indian star cricketer Rohit Sharma’s end. The affected families are angry with the mismanagement and have demanded for a swift action on the matter. Fans also criticised Rohit for his lack of communications on this issue.
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