By K.R. Nayar
Sivakumar Meyyappan, who dazzled as one of UAE’s youngest venue managers during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and Indian Premier League matches at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, has taken charge as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Sharjah Cricket.
Impressed with the devotion, dedication and enthusiasm of Sivakumar Meyyappan, Khalaf Bukhatir, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has given this responsible position of one of UAE oldest cricket councils to this 27-year-old youngster.
Commenting on Sivakumar, Khalaf Bukhatir said: “My first interaction with Siva was actually at his previous workplace (United Pro Sports), and that is when I recognized his talent and potential. I stayed in touch with him and we grew into great friends too. I treat him like a brother now. And how lovely is it to see our family do well! Soon enough, we discussed on an opportunity for him at Sharjah Cricket because I knew what he could bring to the table and how capable he was of achieving big things. Leadership skills are a part of his nature, and anyone who meets him will know that.
Elaborating on his decision, Khalaf then went on to add: “Just a few months after joining us, Siva proved my confidence in him to be right. He was handling an entire unit and its operations seamlessly. It’s his work-ethic that is so infectious, and I’ve learned a lot from that as well! I am extremely proud to see him achieve his dreams and fly high, especially after recently leading all operations for the world’s most prestigious events, the IPL and T20 World Cup 2021 at Sharjah Stadium. Like I said, it’s like watching family excel, and nothing beats that feeling.”
Siva, as he is properly known among cricket circles, hails from a small town called Karaikudi in the Sivaganga District of Tamil Nadu in South India. It is from areas around this town that the popular Chettinad cusine orginated as well as the popular Karaikudi Kandangi sarees.
Cricket was a popular sport there and had structured divisional leagues happening. Sivakumar special passion for this game began from there. It wasn’t easy for him to convince his family and friends that he wanted cricket to be a part of his life. Although he has a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering and later worked as an IT specialist, his focus was always on cricket.
Giving up engineering for cricket
“Right from my childhood my parents always wanted to take up engineering and follow the safer path of life. They kept telling me that “cricket won’t pay for your food” but I’ve always been extremely passionate and confident about this game. I knew I would pave a way to make a mark. Today I am happy that I could change their thinking with my devotion towards the game. I believe I have a long way to go, and this is just my first step.”
In his playing days, Sivakumar played cricket with the same zest that he shows as an organiser today. He was the opening batsman in the Under-15 Kendriya Vidyalaya nationals and the South Zone university team, and being lean and tall, was an effective bowler during the death overs. The pressure to earn a living forced him take up a job in the IT field, and he was also working for Cognizant, an American multinational information technology services and consulting company. However, his passion to be involved with cricket pushed him to resign from Cognizant.
“Though cricket was always my goal, I wanted to earn a living too. So in 2016 I came to UAE on a one-month visa and got a job, somehow I was not satisfied with what I was doing. So I kept trying and finally got a job associated with sport and I got selected as the Operations Executive of United Pro Sports, a newly created indoor sports facility in Dubai.”
Coach, umpire and many more
Sivakumar’s enthusiasm made him take up more responsibilities. He became the Manager for Corporate events, went on to become a ICC Level One coach, attended the umpiring level-0 course and went on to umpire matches. “I became a part-time umpire, officiated DCC Leagues & ECB junior tournaments and also coached part time at ‘It’s Just Cricket Academy’ and began to enjoy my life.”
Joining Sharjah Cricket
Sivakumar’s start with Sharjah Cricket was a challenging one. He joined in March 2020, at a time when the Covid pandemic was at its peak. All facilities were closed for many months but it did not blow away his spirit. Soon Sharjah Cricket Stadium became the centre for some major cricketing cricket activities when Sharjah was picked to host some of the IPL 2020 matches. “I was appointed as the venue manager despite having no proven experience in international events. With the trust and confidence shown by Mr.Khalaf and Maqbul Dudhia (former CEO, Bangladesh Cricket Board, and as someone who has held many top positions) as my mentor, and with support from the experienced Mazhar Khan (General Manager Sharjah Cricket Stadium), I went about the task assigned to me. I was just 25 years old then and being given such a challenging and responsible role that is often offered to people who are highly experienced made me work harder to do justice to the role. “
Sharjah Cricket Stadium won laurels as one of the best venues. A remark from an IPL official that Sivakumar may be the youngest venue manager of an IPL venue even in India was a big boost.
Speaking about Siva, Maqbul Dudhia said: “Having worked on numerous sports projects in the UAE and internationally and having had the task of hiring people at all levels, I interviewed Siva for an operational role with the added responsibility for a wider commercial delivery for Sharjah Stadium. Siva stood out from a number of applicants. What struck me about him was his ‘can do’ attitude, an operational mentality with an entrepreneurial sense coupled with a willingness to work hard.”
Talking about his decision, Dudhia added: “Given the Venue Manager role, he did not disappoint during the two IPL events, an ICC World Cup, and on driving and delivering a number of domestic events and initiatives. As a person, he also showed a good ability to build relationships with all stakeholders. His new role is well deserved. Faith has been rewarded and I believe that he will continue to add value and support the leadership of Khalaf Bukhatir, CEO of Sharjah Stadium, Waleed Bukhatir of Sharjah Cricket Council, ECB Board member, and to continue to build on the immense legacy of Mr. Abdul Rahman Bukhatir.”
Sivakumar expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Khalaf Bukhatir for bestowing him with immense responsibilities. “I would like to humbly express great appreciation to the man I consider more like my family, Khalaf. He has been a huge pillar of strength throughout my journey here and I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for him. The amount of faith Khalaf has shown in me, right from my early days, has been indescribable. In fact, I can candidly admit that Khalaf understood my passion for the sport more than my family. Hence I would like to thank him for not only guiding and supporting me, but importantly for believing in me more than I ever would in myself.”
More roles and responsibilities
In 2021 Sivakumar became the Abu Dhabi T10 Delhi Bulls team’s Logistics Manager. The IPL that followed and the T20 World Cup made Sivakumar very busy. He was the point of contact for many. “What made me the happiest was when the International Cricket Council (ICC) presented an appreciation letter to Khalaf Bukhatir congratulating the whole Sharjah venue team that worked toward the successful conduct of the World Cup under the impeccable guidance of Khalaf Bukhathir.”
Khalaf has a vision to boost domestic cricket and Sivakumar has eagerly backed his mission. “I am very happy that I could support Khalaf Bukhatir’s plans to strengthen Sharjah Cricket’s domestic tournaments. Reviving the CBFS tournament by organizing six tournaments in a season which would include 190 matches of different formats and also through its live coverage made it special. We partnered with TCM (Twenty-four Century Media) as our commercial partner for the first season. We transformed our domestic matches by increasing its reach to many more through emphasis on social media.”
Boosting Sharjah Cricket
Speaking about his aim and vision for Sharjah Cricket, especially at the domestic level, and on how he would love to work in his new role, Sivakumar said, “I definitely aim to achieve much more with this role for the betterment of Sharjah Cricket. Firstly, I would want to work on a better and more structured domestic tournament for grass-root level cricketers in the region, as well as the seniors too. I’m sure it will help players showcase their talent, potential and most importantly, make their case for the UAE national team/franchise selections through our ‘CBFS Platform to Perform’ initiative. Apart from that, I hope to help develop a well-established, franchise-model tournament in our domestic cricket structure that can help domestic cricketers branch out into big stages worldwide. Other than that, I also plan to explore and implement various strategic partnerships with brands to extend their involvement with Sharjah Cricket in the years to come.”
Based on his experience, Sivakumar has a word of advice to youngsters who would like to follow their passion in sports management. “My only advice to youngsters pursuing sports as a career would be to always maintain your eagerness to succeed, enthusiasm for sport, and your work ethic to go the extra mile, day in and day out. Of course, one will have to be ready for sacrifices as well. But someday it will all pay off as a success story for future generations and to follow their passion. You’ll be glad you never gave up.”