The Bucket Hatters - a flame giving Indian women's cricket the limelight it deserves
Just briefly after the Indian team made history by beating Australia for the first time in a women's Test, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. walked towards the Garware Pavilion to thank and applaud the supporters who had gathered to cheer on the hosts.
Among the supporters were a few individuals in bucket hats, who had made quite an impression in the minds of both Indian and Australian cricketers over the last two days of the Test.
Despite just one stand being opened up at the Wankhede Stadium, the group was able to make their presence felt with their unique chants. They got behind the Indian team in such a way that the opposition felt the heat. Yes, you heard it right. Australia felt the heat.
The 'Bucket Hatters', as they like to call themselves, in the space of just two games, have begun to set a benchmark of the support that Indian women's cricket deserves going forward. They have been all over social media over the past few days, but in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda it is time to get to know in detail how the foundation of the Bucket Hat Cult was laid.
Indian cricketers could only think of the Bucket Hatters after the win
You know you have done something special if star Indian cricketers like Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues wanted to meet you. That's exactly what happened with the Bucket Hatters, thanks to freelance multimedia journalist Annesha Ghosh.
It was Annesha who had contacted the group just as they were about to leave from the Churchgate station that Smriti and Jemimah wanted to meet them at the Trident. Radha, one of the founding members of the group, opened up on how she and others coined the name 'Bucket Hatters' and how the bucket hats became famous. She said:
"When we went to meet Smriti and Jemi. I remember one of them says 'Haan tumlog to stand se hi dikh gaye the, topi pehni hai na (We could spot you guys from the stand itself due to the hats).' So it was like an identifying factor now. It kind of clicked in my brain that it would be a nice way to gather a community. The name 'Bucket Hatters' was pretty spontaneous, but it feels right."
Parth, another member, also narrated how lucky they were to have gotten the opportunity to meet the cricketers and opened up on the emotions they felt. He added:
"We were recording a few bits for Annesha and then later she decided to take us all to lunch. We all had started leaving for our stations. Annesha came running back and said 'wait, wait, Smriti Mandhana ne bulaaya hai (Smriti Mandhana has called you).' We met Smriti, Meji, Tahlia McGrath, Megan Schutt and Harleen Deol."
The biggest takeaway arguably for the Bucket Hatters was when they got to know that their chanting made a real difference and intimidated the Australian players. Akshay, a member of the group, opened up about the conversations the group had when they met the cricketers at the Trident. He asserted:
"One of the key takeaways that we had from the conversations was Tahlia McGrath and Megan Schutt saying that we were able to rate some of their players. I never thought Aussies would get intimidated by Indian crowd. Smriti also told us that our chants ensured the Indian players didn't need to do any sledging. Things like that make what we are doing worthwhile."
Rohan, another member, chipped in with his insights on the conversation he had with Jemimah. He added:
"Jemimah also said that ' Your chants was the thing that we were discussing more in the dressing room than the match.' Even Tahlia said that when she misfielded, the crowd was letting her know. So we too feel good that whatever we were chanting was helping the team and getting across to the cricketers."
Bucket Hatters' chants have quickly become their identity
Indian fans, since ages, have been flocking to the stadiums to watch the men's team play and several individuals have been hailed as cricketing superstars. However, it was refreshing to see women's cricketers also get a similar recognition during the Test and once again the Bucket Hatters had a huge role to play in it.
What separated them from the general crowd was their unique chants that fired up the Indian players and also ensured that the opposition felt the pressure. Making every individual cricketer and even the support staff feel special with their chants, the group was able to show the path in terms of highest level of true support.
Here are some of their unique chants:
"Stay in your crease, Stay in your crease...Richa will get you, Stay in your crease."
"Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Jingle All the way! Oh what fun it is to watch Deepti play all day!!"
"Let Phoebe take strike let Phoebe take strike she wants to play a ball let Phoebe take strike (referring to when Phoebe Litchfield was run out in the first innings without facing a ball on debut)."
Bucket hatters have shown signs of growth already
The Bucket Hatters had made their intention pretty clear that it wasn't just going to be a one-off in terms of their support from the stands. They turned up once again during the first two ODIs, and this time, the cult had more members in it, willing to sit at the familiar Garware stand with their bucket hats on.
What started as a group of youngsters in their 20s was no longer limited to that as kids as well as elderly people were chanting for the Indian team. This rise in the number of bucket hats was an indication of how the Bucket Hatters were able to create awareness about the support needed for the Indian team.
Urvi, a member of the group, spoke about how the response from the crowd after the Test was a sign of the Bucket Hatters succeeding in their motive:
"I think the most fun part was kids joining us in the chants. They first tried to understand what we were saying and then began to chant with us, which is an acknowledgment in itself. I also liked how everyone was fighting with the security guys because they wanted to sit with us at the Garware stand because we cheered the loudest. These little things make us believe we are doing the right thing. We just want more people to join us and enjoy the game."
Another member, Deep added on Urvi's point and explained how the crowd were happy to just stand even if there were no empty seats in the Garware stand just to be with the Bucket Hatters and chant for the team. He said:
"During the Test match, the last batch of seats in the Garware Stand were closed because it was too near to the dugout. By the end of the game, everyone wanted to come to the stand and there were no seats left. Lot of us were standing and the people were sitting on the stairs chanting with us because they wanted to be a part of it. Sanjay dada has been our bucket hats provider."
The motto of the Bucket Hatters has been that even "six-seven fans can move a stadium." In such a short span of just about a week, they have shown just how motivated the Indian team can get if they have the support they deserve.
It would be quite a sight if the Wankhede Stadium is filled with 33000 bucket hats getting behind the Indian team during the 2025 Women's World Cup. While that's a long way away, the Bucket Hatters have laid a foundation. They have lit a flame, the fire from which has the potential to spread across the country.