Deflating the wind in the willows

Kashmir’s famed ₹700-crore bat-making industry supports at least 50,000 livelihoods. Since 2021, its bats have made their way to cricket grounds around the world, with 47 international players using Kashmir willow bats in major tournaments. But a shortage of willow, climate change, and smuggling are putting the industry under pressure. Peerzada Ashiq reports on its rise and the challenges threatening its future

Published - August 15, 2026 05:55 am IST

A worker holds a cricket bats at a workshop in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir. | Photo Credit: Imran Nissar

In Halmulla in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, larger-than-life pictures of cricket stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohil, M.S. Dhoni, Shahid Afridi, and Babar Azam line the bat shops on National Highway-44.

Fawzul Kabiir, 40, founder of GR8 Sports, is busy inspecting the English willow clefts neatly stacked into a 12-foot-high tower. Clefts, or wedge-shaped blocks of willow wood cut from timber, are turned into bats and customised to meet the evolving demands of cricket.

While displaying different bars, Kabiir says, “A bat used by an opener is different from that which is used by a middle-order batsman and a slogger. Bats used for one-day matches are different from those used in the T20 format. Each player has a preference of his own.”

The craftsmanship of local bat-makers comes into play in producing bats sturdy enough to endure wallops or dents, even after being hit by a leather ball. “Seasons are important in maintaining the uniqueness of the bat. We allow the willow clefts to brave the rain and snow in the open. Sun-dried clefts are the best to compete in international markets,” Kabiir explains.

Inside his well-equipped bat factory, Kabiir tosses a ball into the air and lets it fall onto a bat, listening to the sound to check for the “sweet spot”. “It’s a science I mastered after my bats faced rejection in many countries in 2010, when I showcased some of my samples,” he explains. “Our bats would not meet international standards. And just as we began producing international-quality bats, we have been hit by a shortage of raw material.”

Famous for its mountain slopes, lush meadows and clear streams, Kashmir enjoys another reputation: the craftsmanship of its bat-makers. According to government data, Kashmir has 195 registered bat manufacturers, mainly in south Kashmir, and around 150 cleft dealers. They shape willow planks into sturdy, beautiful bats that find their way to cricket grounds around the world.

This international fame came only in 2021, when a bat-making company from Kashmir was certified by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and bagged a contract to supply bats to the Oman Cricket Board. However, it was during the Cricket World Cup 2022 that the Kashmir willow made it to the spotlight when UAE player Junaid Siddique hit the longest six of 109 meters off a Sri Lankan bowler, Dushmantha Chameera.

The industry is also an important source of livelihood in the region, for at least 50,000 locals. However, it is now grappling with several issues, including shortage of raw material, changes in climate, and smuggling.

The Kashmir willow is a deciduous tree native to Europe and western Asia. It was brought to the Kashmir Valley during British rule in 1895 by British officials Sir Walter R. Lawrence and J.C. MacDonell, the first chief of the Forest Department in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), to meet fuel needs and provide green fodder for cattle.

According to Yaseer Ahmad Mir, Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Salix alba, a species of English willow, was also introduced to make cricket bats, as it was difficult for the British to export bats from England. “They found the climatic conditions of Kashmir suitable for making these bats,” he says.

The willow wood is usually sourced from areas surrounding Anantnag. English willow trees are harvested after 12-15 years of growth, or when they attain a girth of 120 cm at 1.5 metres above the ground and stand about 12 metres tall. They are then cut into blocks or clefts and left to dry under the sun for months.

The wood is hard-wearing, relatively light, and easy to sand and shape. “The quality of willow is improved by drying and pressing it during its production stage,” says Mir.

According to data from the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Agriculture and Science Technology, a mature willow tree with a girth of 100 centimetres produces about 15-20 willow clefts. Accordingly, around 1.2 lakh mature Salix trees are felled to produce 30 lakh cricket bats per year. This is double the number manufactured a decade ago.