Anand Mahindra invests in Bayside Sports to drive company's mission of building communities through sports

Mumbai: Bayside Sports’ mission of creating communities through the power of sports gained new momentum thanks to a personal investment from the executive chairman of the Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra. The Mumbai based multi-sports academy and sports event provider attracted equity investment from Mahindra, who acquired a 16.67 percent stake in the company to help drive its future growth. Reflecting on the investment, Mahindra said, “There is nothing quite like the power of sport to bring families together. By bringing the thrill of competitive tournaments to families, Bayside Sports is uniquely positioned to create a fun and healthy sporting culture in major cities across India. Now all of us have the opportunity to move from being mere spectators to sportspersons while bonding with our families. This is also a great way to hone young talent and encourage the next generation of sportspersons in India.” [caption id=“attachment_3790863” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Anand Mahindra. Reuters[/caption] Childhood friends and cricketers Kyan Bharucha and Vishal Gokani founded Bayside Sports in January 2013 with just three students in Mumbai. But the academy evolved with time. As of 2017, it has coached around 2,000 students in cricket across 18 centres in the city. The focus now will also shift on talent in other sports like football, basketball, throwball and kabaddi. Bharucha, co-founder of Bayside Sports, was ecstatic after Mahindra’s investment. “Vishal and I began Bayside Sports on the strength of a dream to see families bond over sports. Today, that dream is slowly turning into a reality and Mr Mahindra’s investment, through his family office, is a validation of the fact that we are on the right track. He is a role model for his efforts in promoting indigenous sports like kabaddi and for him to show faith in us is extremely encouraging.” His partner Gokani added, “With Bayside Sports, Kyan and I envisioned building communities that can come together through sports, by recruiting new talent as well as bringing former sportspersons back into the fold. Today, as hundreds of children and adults actively participate in our cricket, football, throwball and various other tournaments, we are closer to realising this vision and now look forward to expanding our geographic footprint.” Notably, the company organises the Bayside Sports Dads Cricket Championship, which is an inter-school tournament in which fathers of children from several schools participate. The championship, which started in 2013 is in its fifth year, and is the company’s first successful venture. By 2021, they will also organise a Bayside Sports School Dads World Cup. The company also plans to expand its operations to other cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and New Delhi.