The development of cricketers who have entered the restaurant industry is an intriguing example of how the convergence of sports and entrepreneurship has become more common in modern times.
There is a growing number of cricketers who have successfully made the switch from the dining table to the cricket field thanks to this special combination of physical prowess and culinary flair. These people have not only made an everlasting impression on the industry, but they have also given customers all around the world mouthwatering experiences.
The phenomena of cricket players owning restaurants is evidence of these sportsmen’ versatility outside of the cricketing field and speaks to their diverse personality. These restaurants frequently act as an extension of the cricketer’s personality, reflecting it through the foods they serve and the atmosphere they create. The range of culinary endeavors, from formal restaurants to informal cafes, is as diverse as the cricket players themselves.
List of cricketers who own restaurants
We will delve into the fascinating world of cricketers who have embraced the food industry in this fascinating list, exposing the tales behind their culinary adventures, the award-winning dishes they are known for, and the influence they have had on the restaurant sector. Join us as we explore the names and flavors that characterize the list of cricketers who own restaurants as we embark on a gastronomic adventure via this singular fusion of sports and gastronomy.
| S.no. | Player | Country | Restaurant |
| 1 | Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | Shakib’s 75 |
| 2 | Kumara Sangakkara & Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | Ministry of Crab |
| 3 | Kapil Dev | India | Elevens |
| 4 | Shoaib Malik | Pakistan | The Rice Bowl |
| 5 | Zaheer Khan | India | Dine Fine & Lounge |
| 6 | Ravindra Jadeja | India | Jaddu’s Food Field |
| 7 | Shikhar Dhawan | Dubai | The Flying Catch |
| 8 | Suresh Raina | India | Raina Indian Restaurant |
| 9 | MS Dhoni | India | Shaka Harry |
| 10 | Virat Kohli | India | One8 Commune |
Here are top 10 Cricketers who own Restaurants
Legendary cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Virender Sehwag once worked as waiters to supplement their income. But as a result of their disastrous commercial endeavors, their eateries were soon a thing of the past. Due to their fame at the beginning, their restaurants drew a lot of customers, but after a few years, business began to decline. More cricket players have become interested in the food industry in recent years. They are currently succeeding in this new industry because food-loving cricket fans have embraced their restaurants. Here are list of cricketers who own restaurants.
10. Shakib Al Hasan- Shakib’s 75 (Dhaka)
In all sports, Shakib Al Hasan has made a significant contribution to the national team, earning him the title of Bangladesh’s most successful cricketer. After 17 years of his cricketing career, he has garnered a great many supporters who have remained by him through thick and thin.
Shakib created Shakib’s 75, a sports club with a cricket theme, in Dhaka in 2015 to cater to foodies. Umme Ahmed Shishir, Shakib’s wife, is in charge of supervising the restaurant’s interior design. On the dining establishment’s oak walls, there are exquisitely crafted replicas of famous cricket stadiums.
Collectibles including Shakib’s Bangladesh and KKR T-shirts, as well as stumps and balls from the World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Indian Premier League (IPL), are available for Shakib’s admirers. The restaurant’s food is created in accordance with the legendary cricketer from Bangladesh.
9. Kumara Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene- Ministry of Crab
During their playing careers, Sri Lanka legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumara Sangakkara provided the national cricket team with outstanding service. The pair’s 624-run partnership in a Test match against South Africa in 2006 is the most in the sport’s longest format. After Sri Lanka’s defeat at the 2015 World Cup, both players decided to hang up their cleats.
With the help of well-known Sri Lankan chef Dharshan Munidasa, Jayawardene and Sangakkara opened their restaurant, Ministry of Crab (MOC), in Colombo in December 2011. The restaurant’s mission is to highlight and promote Sri Lanka’s seafood. In 2019, MOC opened a store in Mumbai, marking its entry into India. We ranked it 9th for luxurious cricketers who own restaurants.
MOC has so far reported being present in seven different cities around the globe. MOC offers its services to foodies in Maldives, Bangkok, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Manila in addition to Colombo and Mumbai.
8. Kapil Dev- Elevens
Indian cricket has benefited greatly from the contributions of Kapil Dev. He led the Indian team from the front during the 1983 World Cup in England, bringing the country its first World Cup trophy. After 16 years of service to Indian cricket, he announced his retirement from international cricket in 1994.
After retiring, he was known as a coach and pundit, but now days, he works as a cricket expert for a well-known news program. In addition, he is the proprietor of Patna’s Elevens, a restaurant with a cricket theme. The former India captain opened the eatery in 2008.
For those who enjoy Indian, Pan-Asian, and continental cuisines, the restaurant is the finest option. A classy bar and a lounge are other features of the restaurant. It’s one of Patna’s nicest and most favored locations for family gatherings.
7. Shoaib Malik- The Rice Bowl
Shoaib Malik, a seasoned Pakistani batsman, is renowned for his outstanding batting abilities. Since 1999, Malik has represented Pakistan in international cricket. For his outstanding work on the Pakistan cricket team, he has amassed a substantial financial fortune. He started working in the restaurant industry in January 2022.
The stylish Pakistani athlete opened The Rice Bowl, a restaurant in an upscale area of Lahore. His former teammates Inzamam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Waqar Younis, and Wahab Riaz were seen at his restaurant’s inauguration ceremony. Babar Azam and Hasan Ali also attended the opening of Malik’s food shop along with former Pakistani leaders.
Atif Aslam, a famed vocalist, was another well-known person who dined at Malik’s establishment. Aslam unexpectedly dropped by the cricketer’s eatery. On Twitter, Malik expressed his gratitude to Atif for showing up at the launch of his restaurant. We ranked it 7th for luxurious cricketers who own restaurants.
6. Zaheer Khan- Dine Fine and The Sports Lounge
Since 2005, Zaheer Khan, a former India pacer, has worked in the hotel sector. Zaheer began his career by opening ZK’s Dine Fine in Pune. Customers of Dine Fine can choose between indoor and outdoor services. By opening Toss Sports Lounge in Pune in 2013, the former India player extended his food company.
During major sporting events like the Cricket World Cup, the FIFA World Cup, the IPL, the UEFA Champions League, Wimbledon, and others, the sports-themed restaurant Toss Sports Lounge draws a lot of sports fans.
It’s the ideal location to unwind with friends while enjoying good cuisine and drinks with a big group of pals. In his long career as an India player (2000–2014), Zaheer took 610 wickets in 309 international games. He shared the most wickets in the 2011 World Cup with Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi with 21 taken in nine games.
5. Ravindra Jadeja- Jaddu’s Food Field
Ravindra Jadeja’s remarkable all-around abilities make him a crucial member of the Indian team. Since making his international debut in February 2009, the star India player has played for his country in more than 300 matches across all sports. In addition to being a cricket player, Jadeja is a restaurateur in Rajkot.
The dashing Indian all-rounder opened his eatery, “Jaddu’s Food Field,” in December 2012, three years after making his international debut. It is a multi-cuisine restaurant well-known among Rajkot cricket fans. In 2017, Rajkot Municipal Corporation conducted a raid on the eatery, which led to the authorities recovering a sizable amount of expired food. We ranked it 5th for luxurious cricketers who own restaurants.
The restaurant underwent a major makeover after the 2018 attack, and it is now operational. The sister of India’s all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Naina Jadeja, claimed in a 2018 interview with Sportstar that whenever the all-rounder does well in games, customers receive complimentary sweets.
4. Shikhar Dhawan- The Flying Catch
Shikhar Dhawan, a tough India opener, is renowned for his aggressive batting approach in international cricket. The left-handed batter’s extraordinary batting prowess has helped the squad win many games throughout the course of his 13-year career. He is currently not on the team as a result of his poor recent results.
Shikhar started a sports cafe in Dubai in 2023. The name “The Flying Catch” refers to some of the best catches made by the India opener on the field. The goal of Shikhar’s restaurant is to draw customers who lead healthy lifestyles and feed them wholesome meals. Indian residents of Dubai exhibit their appreciation for the famous Indian cricketer’s restaurant.
The restaurant offers the ideal atmosphere for sports fans to watch games from the world’s major athletic events in addition to great food. Shikhar’s Restaurant is the ideal hangout spot for health nuts and sports enthusiasts to eat ideal snacks and have a wonderful time.
3. Suresh Raina- Raina Indian Restaurant
From 2005 until 2018, Suresh Raina provided his skills to the Indian team. He primarily batted in the middle of the order during his incredible career. Along with former India captain MS Dhoni, he retired from international cricket in August 2020 after being dropped from the Indian team for more than two years.
He now works as a commentator for important T20 leagues. He began a new chapter in his life in June 2023 when his restaurant, Raina Indian Restaurant, opened in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Raina declared his love for both food and cricket when his restaurant first opened.
He also mentioned how realizing his ambition of starting a restaurant was for him. The renowned Player’s Restaurant offers a wide selection of delectable Indian meals, including, to name a few, hot samosas, dahi bhalla, pani puri, soup, jeera rice, and veg biryani. Due to its interior, we ranked it 3th for luxurious cricketers who own restaurants.
2. MS Dhoni- Shaka Harry
Many cricket fans hold MS Dhoni in high regard and appreciate him for his extraordinary contributions to the game. With his batting, wicketkeeping, and leadership abilities, he effectively served Indian cricket from 2004 to 2019 while he was a member of the Indian team. After dedicating more than 15 years of his life to his work, he hung up his boots in August 2020.
Dhoni is currently in his 40s and playing cricket for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the lucrative IPL. Shaka Harry began operating in India in December 2022, opening their first location to promote vegetarianism in the Bangalore airport. Dhoni, a former India captain, invested in the plant-based cuisine enterprise, giving the eatery his support.
Shaka Harry has a large client base in India thanks to Dhoni’s dazzling popularity, since many travelers who fly out of Bangalore stop by the eatery to enjoy plant-based meats.
1. Virat Kohli- One8 Commune
Throughout his 15-year international career, Virat Kohli has done an outstanding job for India. The batting wizard also owns the One8 Commune food business in addition to cricket. One8 Commune opened its first restaurant in Mumbai in 2022 at the mansion of the late singer Kishore Kumar in Juhu.
Along with Mumbai, India’s financial center, the well-known restaurant chain has also registered locations in Pune, Delhi, and Kolkata. It’s the ideal place for vegetarians to go because it offers a variety of vegetarian cuisine and beverages. The restaurant offers a variety of international cuisines so that patrons can sample various dishes.
The menu is pleasantly vegetarian-friendly and keeps its promise of elegance in dishes influenced by several cultures’ culinary tastes. This restaurant is on top of our list of luxurious cricketers who own restaurants.
