| Dilip Jajodia | |
| Nationality: | Indian |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
| Known For: | Owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd |
Dilip Jajodia (born 1944)[1] [2] is an Indian businessman, and current owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd, which manufactures the Dukes cricket ball.
Jajodia's family are from the Marwar region of Rajasthan in north-west India. He studied at the Bishop Cotton Boys' School in Bangalore, India, and has a degree in management. In 1962, Jajodia moved with his family to England.[1] [2] He played club cricket in India and England[2] as an all-rounder.[3] Jajodia says that he "lost his edge" after suffering a mouth injury fielding at silly point.[3] Jajodia lives in north-east London, and runs the Woodford Wells Cricket Club.[4] [2] In 2019, Jajodia delivered a Gen KS Thimayya memorial lecture.[5]
In England, Jajodia worked as a Chartered Insurance Practitioner and a pension fund manager.[1] Jajodia started working in cricket ball manufacturing in 1983.[2] In 1987, Jajodia bought British Cricket Balls Ltd, the company that manufactures the Dukes cricket ball, from Gray-Nicolls.[1] [2] Jajodia moved the manufacturing of Dukes cricket balls from Tunbridge Wells to Walthamstow.[2] Jajodia specifically chooses by hand the cricket balls to send to cricket venues for matches.[2] Dukes balls are used in matches in England and the West Indies.[6]
In 2017, Jajodia was in attendance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the first Sheffield Shield match to use the Dukes ball rather than the traditional Kookaburra ball.[7] After India's 2018 series in England, Jajodia said he has no plans to market the Dukes ball in India.[6] After the West Indies 2020 series in England, in which saliva could not be used to clean the cricket balls due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jajodia said that he was happy with the swing of the Dukes balls.[8]