Beyond the 42 titles: The human stories of Mumbai cricket

Aahana Kumra (top, fourth from right) and her production house will be making a behind-the-scenes documentary with the Mumbai team. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In recent years, sporting documentaries have taken fans beyond the action on the field and into the dressing rooms, training grounds and lives of their favourite teams.

From Manchester City’s All or Nothing on Amazon Prime to the Australian cricket team’s The Test, these behind-the-scenes series have offered a glimpse into the pressures, personalities and preparations that shape a sporting season.

Now, it is Mumbai cricket’s turn.

With a record 42 Ranji Trophy titles, Mumbai has a cricketing legacy few teams can match. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is looking to bring that story to the screen through a web series that will follow the team across six months of domestic cricket.

At the Luhnu Cricket Ground in Bilaspur, where Mumbai is taking on Himachal Pradesh, actor and producer Aahana Kumra and her crew are already at work, filming the team as it goes about its business.

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“The idea is to give fans a unique look at what goes on behind the scenes with the Mumbai team throughout the season,” says MCA president Ajinkya Naik.

“More importantly, this initiative will help youngsters understand what it takes to succeed at the highest level — the discipline, preparation, teamwork and commitment that define Mumbai cricket. It will give the next generation an opportunity to learn from our rich cricketing legacy and inspire them to carry it forward,” he adds.

For Kumra, whose production house, Working Panda Films, is making its first sports documentary, the project marks a move into a new field. The series is directed by Patrick Graham, whose credits include Ghoul and Betaal for Netflix, as well as docudramas for Amazon.

The series is directed by Patrick Graham, who was in attendance for the Mumbai vs Himachal Pradesh Ranji Trophy match. | Photo Credit: Shayan Acharya

“I have watched sports documentaries made around the world, but not nearly as many in India. I felt this was an important market for a production house to enter. People are interested in sport and want to understand what is happening in athletes’ lives,” Kumra tells Sportstar.

“I have become interested in athletes at the grassroots level in India. I feel their stories need to be heard. If we can tell those stories through our production house, we will. I feel deeply about stories that celebrate our local heroes,” she added.

Kumra’s association with the MCA began almost two years ago, when she worked as a host during the T20 Mumbai League. Working Panda Films later produced short-form content for the tournament. When the association began exploring a Ranji Trophy web series, Kumra and her co-founder, Apurva Singh Rathore, pitched for the project and secured it. Apurva had played cricket at the junior level and once aspired to play in the Ranji Trophy.

Aahana Kumra and Apurva Singh Rathore are co-founders of the production house Working Panda Films. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

“In India, there are two things you cannot ignore: Bollywood and cricket. Sit at any table and the conversation will eventually turn to one or the other,” Kumra says.

Kumra found her inspiration in Drive to Survive, the Formula One documentary series that introduced her to drivers she had barely followed before. “Suddenly, I knew the Formula One drivers. I knew Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, and I had become familiar with a world I had not known before. I started watching docudramas in 2022, and now, four years later, I have almost stopped watching fiction,” she says.

Mumbai Cricket Association president Ajinkya Naik said that this initiative will give youngsters an idea of what it takes to succeed at the highest level. | Photo Credit: Ajinkya Naik/Instagram

She hopes the Mumbai series can bring similar attention to domestic cricketers. “There are only eleven places in a playing XI, and everyone wants one of them. The IPL gives players enormous visibility and can turn them into heroes for two or three months. But even when someone breaks into domestic cricket, people react as though a new player has suddenly appeared. Why are we not talking about the domestic heroes who already exist? Reaching the Ranji Trophy is itself a big achievement, and we want to tell the stories of the players who have made it that far,” Kumra explains.

“Everybody’s story matters,” she says, adding, “Think of the person who has been mowing the lawn at a ground and has seen cricketers up close for years. That, too, is a Mumbai story. Mumbai is not only about people living in high-rises. It is also about someone taking a train from Virar to Wankhede and getting the chance to live his dream. That possibility is part of what makes Mumbai special.”

The demands of the season can take players away from their families for months. “I was talking to Ajinkya (Naik) about the lives of cricketers. It is not all as glamorous as it appears. Sometimes, they do not get to meet their families for months. It is similar to the film industry: when there is a shoot, you cannot simply go home for Diwali, Dussehra or Navratri. You have a job to do. These boys face the same demands, but their lives can be lonely. They may be part of a team and still spend months away from their families and spouses,” Kumra says.

Aahana Kumra and her crew during one of the shoots at the Wankhede Stadium. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

She recalls meeting Ayush Mhatre a day after he suffered a Grade IV hamstring tear in Mumbai’s season opener against Chandigarh.

“When we met him, I could see the disappointment on his face. He was coming back from an injury and had struggled to reach a point where he could establish himself. Then another injury held him back. I do not think there is anything more frustrating than watching your teammates play while you are sidelined,” she says.

Kumra had suffered an ACL tear herself. She scheduled her surgery around the filming commitments so she could continue travelling with the crew.

“When you share an experience of loss, it can create a connection. When I spoke to Ayush and saw his expression after his injury, I understood that feeling,” she says.

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“Imagine bowling one bad over and knowing that your place could be at risk. There is so much insecurity. In India, a player can have one bad match and find an entire country criticising him. He is not necessarily a bad player; he may simply be having a bad day. These boys are not robots. There is enormous pressure on them, and seeing that up close has moved me,” Kumra added.

Kumra has known several of the players through the T20 Mumbai League and has interviewed many of them over the past two years. That familiarity, she believes, helps them feel comfortable in front of her cameras.

“When players see a familiar face — someone who is interested in the sport and understands the game and their lives — it becomes easier for them to open up. They might say, ‘It’s you, so I’ll do the interview with you.’ I know many of their families and wives, and I have seen them move into the next phase of their lives, including having children. We have been part of those moments, and that helps build trust,” she says.

The series is being pitched to platforms, with a release targeted for May or June.

In Bilaspur, Mumbai’s immediate concern is the match against Himachal Pradesh. Kumra and her crew, however, have another five months of cricket, and the lives around it, to document.

Published on Oct 18, 2026

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