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On May 13, the San Francisco Unicorns unveiled a new mascot, an anthropomorphic version of their namesake; five days later, the mascot was dubbed "Sparky," an echo of the fan base's fantastic nickname, the Sparkle Army. The Unicorns have been no stranger to small, high-energy fan groups - I think my favorite was probably the Uni-Cones who attended opening night at the Coliseum dressed as giant road cones - and Sparky was met with a modest but warm reception.
But weeks before Sparky came to be known as such, the Unicorns had unveiled their original mascot: Ravichandran Ashwin.
That's about all he has been over the last two weeks. Signed to great fanfare with high expectations and hopes of a major impact on enthusiasm and attendance to see him play, the legendary Indian spinner has not landed with the hoped-for splash and has largely been confined to the sidelines, bowling just 12 deliveries in five games. Most damning of all was the first night of play in Oakland, when Ashwin was scratched while 1500 fans got a T-shirt with his name and number on it. Everyone had their own ideas of how his time in MLC might go, but if Ravichandran Ashwin wasn’t going to play on Ravichandran Ashwin Night, that was pretty much the final nail in the coffin. Instead of mirroring David Beckham's move to the LA Galaxy, the Unicorns got their own late-career Steven Gerrard.
It would be one thing if Ashwin had injured himself again; it would likely zero out his franchise contract prospects after a previous knee injury kept him out of the Big Bash League, but it would at least be a reason for him being on the bench that everyone could accept. There has been no indication from the team either through its media relations (such as it is), or through captain Matt Short that Ashwin is injured. He still takes warm-ups and is listed in the gameday squads the Unicorns post on their socials.
There has been speculation on social media that he doesn't want to be in the lineup alongside Pakistan international Haris Rauf, who took the sledging too far at the Asia Cup in the wake of India and Pakistan’s four-day aerial conflict last spring (he was hardly alone in that). The two have not appeared in the lineup together yet and were swapped for each other in San Francisco’s second game, but that can be explained away. Rauf was hot garbage against Los Angeles in the opener, so he came out and Ashwin came in against Texas for an afternoon game, where the ball doesn’t leap off the bat quite the same way and spin is more effective. That didn’t go well, so they went back to Rauf in Oakland, and he has been adequate since then. Besides, Ashwin would have known Rauf was on the team and was due to return after he had a really strong year last year. The idea of being around someone like that all the time but drawing a line at playing together would be absurd on the part of the player. It’s probably the least you would actually talk to the guy during the month you’re both there!
The fact of the matter is, Ashwin is not good enough to crack San Francisco’s playing XI at this stage of his career. In many respects, it’s the worst-case scenario because it’s not so much that he’s bad as it is that he’s irrelevant. His time in MLC has barely warranted a mention beyond engagement baiting Instagram accounts trying to slide into your algorithm with the ol’ Curtains for Zoosha routine.
The first ball Ashwin bowled was June 20 at Grand Prairie, with San Francisco bowling first against Texas. Ashwin was bowling in the power play against Milind Kumar, a guy whose strike rate might as well be measured in weeks. Milind got low across his stumps and turned the ball over his shoulder on a reverse scoop a dozen rows into the seats. He took Ashwin deep again later in the over, and Ashwin gave up 15 runs under fielding restrictions. He yielded a more respectable nine runs in the 10th over, totaling 24 allowed with no wickets taken, and he has not taken the ball since. Texas mustered just 128 runs for the loss of nine wickets in the other 18 overs, and the Unicorns breezed to the target with ample breathing room that day.
Since then, San Francisco has found a groove led by exciting young batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who has managed to overshadow even Finn Allen and Matt Short in the top order. Xavier Bartlett is back from international duty to team up with Rauf; Ghulam Mudassar has provided that attack an extra wheel, and Brody Couch is the change of pace. With Bartlett and Aaron Hardie in from Australia’s tour of Bangladesh, this is a fully armed and operational battle station. No one has been clamoring for Ashwin on the field. At least Pat Cummins was an everyday player.
Granted, that’s not the whole reason San Francisco signed him: he was also brought in to draw eyeballs to Major League Cricket. Attendance would suggest that hasn’t worked, either, in no small part because the league hasn’t cultivated a spotlight to shine on him. His off-field presence becoming a sideshow feels like another example of Major League Cricket’s struggles with marketing and visibility. Sure, he can show up and convince people to buy 10 pound bags of Royal basmati rice at an Indian grocery store, but does that really promote the league or the sport to people who need to see it, or is it merely preaching to the choir? MLC has, intentionally or otherwise, failed to cultivate relationships with local media outlets and is instead relying on social media to promote its product. The problem is that social media is so heavily dependent on algorithms that the only people who engage with Ashwin’s presence in the league are people who either actively seek it out or accidentally liked a piece of cricket-related content three weeks ago and can’t get it out of their feed.
Contrary to popular belief, Americans still watch the local news, still listen to the radio, and they might even read a newspaper if they’re feeling froggy. Where is the cricket on the 10:00 sports block? Where is the Sanjay Krishnamurthi profile in the San Francisco Chronicle or the Mercury News? The Liam Plunkett hit on KNBR? The Ashwin press scrum with local TV stations before or after practice? MLC players and dignitaries are only put in front of people in a passive way, usually associated with sponsors or in controlled environments and not in ways that can sell the league tickets or drive interest from outside sources. The diaspora the league seems intent on building its marketing around also consumes those forms of media, and they need to be reached actively. MLC can’t just shout “Cricket Ashwin Cricket Cricket” into the void of Instagram and expect thousands of Indian men and their families to spring forth fully-formed from the forehead of Zeus ready to buy tickets at Major League Baseball prices. Ashwin could be an effective advocate for the sport, but Ashwin himself is not the reach. He is an implement for that reach - one that has been paid for and hardly taken out of the case, like that torque wrench I got for Christmas a couple of years ago.
He could always still play in Pomona, where the much larger boundaries and completely unknown surface might offer an opportunity to rein in a run rate with spin, but the horse is out of the barn. San Francisco was guaranteed three true home games in front of a crowd in the Bay. Ashwin didn't play in any of them, and the team won two and looked like a title contender without him. His mere presence is not a draw at the gate, and if the team is winning without him and he’s not being trotted out in front of the press, he ceases to matter. The marquee signing of the Major League Cricket off-season has fizzled and become little more than a very expensive freelance influencer. He’s only seen in select environments, only when sought out, and the only real chance to see him is at the stadium, just like Sparky.
At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is Sparky.
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