When Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana played an unbeaten knock of 48 runs against Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup T20, 2024, she put Tapan Khandelwal’s Honey Badger brand on the global map. It was like a soothing balm to Khandelwal’s startup as he has been working tirelessly to facilitate cricketers at all levels. His motive is to provide them with the best brand of Kashmir and English willow bats. And just like the bat takes time to shape up into a fine product; so did his startup. 

In the initial days, back in 2019, Tapan’s startup ran on outsourcing the willows. Today, he is manufacturing the bats in his own unit. He claims that Honey Badger’s is the only unit in Gujarat that manufactures seasoned bats. The entire set up along with raw materials cost him around INR 2 crore.

“We found the company in  2019. We used to outsource earlier. Later, we had our manufacturing unit. We are the only unit in Gujarat that manufactures seasoned cricket bats,” an eager Khandelwal tells Gujpreneur.   

“What we are doing mainly is we’re helping small brands build their brands,” he adds.

One of his early challenges was to find skilled labourers for his Ahmedabad-based startup.”We didn’t have skilled labor here when we did the factory setup. The laborers are mainly from Meerut and Jalandhar. So to keep these labourers here our expenses have been higher comparatively. But we had to bear that since we’re doing something new,” he explains. 

Exporting Bats Around The Globe

Honey Badger, the cricket bat manufacturing startup, is not limited to India. Tapan Khandelwal has made sure that his brand grows globally. And for that, he has dealers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and South Africa.

Tapan says exporting is the need of the hour since in the last two years there income for the citizens of India has not increased much. His export has also seen customer retention. “We are also mainly focused on exporting. Because if you see the rates criteria. Last two season there has been a massive price hike and the income has not increased that much. So, we mainly export,” Khandelwal says.  

“We have around 20+ dealers around the globe and 10 customers have recommended us that our product is good, sell them. We have dealers in the US, UK, Canada, South Africa. In India, we have dealers in Kashmir, Pune, Nasik, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, and many more,” he adds. 

Word-Of-Mouth Branding 

In order to become market fit, Honey Badger manufactures bats across age groups. The bats at Honey Badger are made to satisfy everyone’s needs. The brand has found its customers in a seven-year-old teenager to a Gujarat state team player. Its premium quality makes it an attractive product among its competitors. 

One of its most prominent bats, Honey Badger Master, has a 42mm thickness and can be used in limited-overs cricket. Honey Badger also creates mongoose bats which cater to youngsters playing T20 cricket in their city or overseas. Apart from that Honey badger’s Fearless Warrior and Fearless Thunder are among the most chosen cricket bats among the cricket players. 

“As a new brand, building reputation and awareness among people that it is not just a sticker brand but it is the performance and balance. To make people aware,” Tapan says. 

Competitive Price Range 

The bats have a flat rate all around the world, costing  INR 3,000 – INR 6,000 for Kashmir Willow and INR 9,000 to 50,000 plus shipping charges for overseas deliveries. Incidentally, the Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) bats, used by the likes of Team India wicketkeeper batter range from INR 7,000 to 2,00,000.

However, the price range of Honey Badger bats might not remain stagnant for a long-time as the prices of labourers and raw materials are increasing. 

Indian Bat Market Size 

Tapan, 30, has been able to build a brand where customers are his family. Honey Badger’s official Instagram account is flooded with messages from his happy customers. By building trust with the customers, he has been able to retain his customers and work closely with them to cater to their needs. The startup also offers customization to its clients. 

The Indian cricket bat is estimated at $81.46 million in 2024. It is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.3%. The base of this business’s growth is the youth players and cricket enthusiasts. Meanwhile, the global cricket market is estimated at $1.76 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to $2.9 billion in 2034. 

It should also be understood that the highest bat quality uses English Willow. It is commendable that in a cramped space for growth with industry leaders like SG Sports, MRF Sports,BDM Sports, Honey Badger is making a name for itself. To read more such comprehensive articles, follow us at Gujpreneur.