A massive cutout of Akash Singh and Ashok Sharma is your first inkling that a cricket facility exists en route to Hathod, a once-quiet Jaipur suburb now crowded with under-construction apartment complexes and commercial establishments.
Back in 2018, Akash and Ashok began their serious cricket pursuits here. Then, post-covid, Mukul Choudhary and Kartik Sharma followed. In 2026, the four stand as proof of how the Aravali Cricket Club has quietly transformed into a pipeline from Rajasthan to the IPL.
The academy first started in 2001 at a small school ground, as a passion project by former Rajasthan batter Vivek Yadav. But it wasn't until 2012 - on the back of consecutive Ranji Trophy triumphs with Rajasthan and a two-season stint with the Delhi Daredevils - that Yadav had the means to give structure to his passion.
But when the land where the academy was built ran out of groundwater in 2018, they had to shift base again. This brought them to Hathod, where over time, they've slowly expanded their facility that now boasts two fully-sized cricket grounds, over a dozen nets and hostel facilities for the 300 trainees.
Vivek's long-standing dream was to see the system give izzat (respect) to Rajasthan's talented pipeline of players. Since his passing in 2021, his younger brother, Vikas, has taken charge of the academy and hopes to continue being a thriving ground for young aspirants.
"Seeing four of our players in the IPL would've made bhai (brother) proud," Vikas says. "Although he was part of Delhi Daredevils for two seasons, he couldn't play, but used to be really passionate about grooming youngsters.
"But even after he passed [due to cancer and Covid in 2021], none of the boys left. Akash, Ashok, Mukul…they were already here, and they stayed."
This core has defined the Aravali Cricket Club. Each arrived at a different time but stayed for the same reason: love and care.
Akash, currently part of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), was among the earliest. He progressed from the state's age-group set-up to the India Under-19s, and then the IPL, most notably when he was part of Chennai Super Kings' title-winning squad in 2023.
Ashok arrived in 2018, raw and quick, with batters often pulling away because he was so fast. "We didn't have a speed gun, nothing to measure," Vikas says. "But you could see he was fast."
A link to the Red Bull Speedster forwarded on the academy's WhatsApp group changed Ashok's career trajectory. He won it in 2023, caught the eye of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals, and has now broken through at Gujarat Titans after finishing among the top wicket-takers in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Earlier this season, he even clocked 154.7kph on the speed guns.
"That day, so many people came," Vikas says. "Kids who had left came back and restarted their journey with us."
Ashok first came here as a 15-year-old. He would cover nearly 40km each way - from his village, Rampura - every day to train here. Kartik and Akash came from Bharatpur, and Mukul Choudhary came from Jhunjunu.
Like them, several others travelled long distances to train here. This is when Vikas built hostel rooms within the set-up. These rooms are all just functional - enough for players to rest after a hard day at training.
"It's very hot here," Vikas says matter-of-factly, as he gives us a tour of the facility. "Rooms with tin sheds [due to construction restrictions on a leased land], the heat radiates terribly in the summers. So we've installed desert coolers in each of the rooms."
The tin-sheeted rooms have become a necessity in recent times because of an explosion of trainees. In 2021, Akash and Ashok were among a handful who were accommodated at a nearby apartment complex.
"Back then, we used to partially bear the cost of rentals, but ever since these boys broke into the IPL, they fully take care of the rent," Vikas says. "Ashok still stays there when he comes for training. Mukul used to stay there, but his father was very particular about his diet.
"So they rented an apartment of their own for the family to stay, so that Mukul didn't lack that emotional support and could fulfil his dietary needs. Kartik and Akash stay here whenever he trains here."
Over the years, much of Aravali's success has come from doing things differently. Vivek believed that players from this region had to work harder than most to be noticed, largely because of Rajasthan's broken system and administrative issues.
Vikas hasn't tampered with this philosophy after all these years. And he cites Mukul's example to explain it further.
"We tried to make him play along the ground," Vikas admits. "But his focus was, 'I'll hit sixes.' So we told coaches he has the conviction, so don't tamper with his style."
It has paid off, and the world saw glimpses of this when he sensationally took down KKR at Eden Gardens, hitting an unbeaten 27-ball 54 to seal an incredible final-over win for LSG.
"If he has to be here at 9am, he'll be here," Vikas says. "He'll hit 100 sixes in practice if he wants."
Kartik's story arc is a tad different. Dropped from the age-group se-tup for two seasons straight, he arrived at Aravali in 2021, and immediately made an impact.
"A double-hundred in his first game," Vikas says.
Kartik's 14.2 crore IPL price tag has become a huge talking point today, perhaps even cited as one of the reasons for his slow start to IPL 2026. But long before that deal, the investment had already begun at home.
"His father installed a bowling machine at home so that he could train," Vikas says.
Kartik soon emerged as one of its standout performers. Between 2022 and 2025, Aravali sides either won or reached the finals of most Jaipur District Cricket Association (JDCA) competitions, including the KN Rungta Trophy, a competition that feeds Rajasthan's age-group pipeline.
Vikas' focus is on the age-groups. As of today, around 250-300 kids train there. Bamboo nets have been added to handle the load. The hostel is expanding. Players now come from Odisha, even Nepal. But growth has brought its own pressures - water, space, expectations.
"These four players doing so well has increased the pressure on us, to live up to the standards," Vikas says. "We have to keep improving. Have nets, get space, more rooms.
"The day Mukul played that knock against KKR, and word began to go around he's from Aravali club, my phone and his father's phone didn't stop ringing. I had to switch it off for a bit."
Inside Aravali, though, the four IPL players are still just bhaiyya. They share flats, hand out match tickets to younger kids, and remain part of the same ecosystem that shaped them.
"For the world, they may be big players," Vikas says. "For us, they are the same. But we don't want to stop with just four. Why not six?
"Watch out now for Kartik's younger brother, Anmol Sharma, also. He's also a six-hitter. He's now beginning to come through the age-groups in Rajasthan."
For now, the story circles back to Hathod. To the tin-roofed rooms, the shared flats and the long days in the harsh Rajasthan summer. For every Akash, Ashok, Mukul or Kartik, there are hundreds still chasing the same road and walking past those cutouts, hoping someone else will look up and see theirs one day.