My Research Journey

To take the first step toward constructing a cruelty-free cricket ball made from non-animal leather, I had to first understand the structure and construction of a traditional cricket ball. To do this, I dissected a cricket ball in my own backyard using a simple cutter.

It almost felt like a thick, layered cup that had the texture of rubber but, unlike rubber, was difficult to tear or crack, and was held together more due to the collagen and protein, just like skin. Inside the ball, I found a completely different set of materials from what I had imagined—no stone or metal, but naturally colored, coarse textures. There was cork, jute string, and what my mother thought were cardboard crumbs, which I later found out was just the cork that had become compressed and crumbly due to the impact of hitting the bat.

This was a time-consuming process, given the time difference between the UK and India and the demands of regular school and sports life. This is where my grandfather came in. He became the middleman to help navigate the time difference, but to be honest, I was thankful because Hindi is not my specialty—at least not yet. Most of the manufacturers started to avoid us once they realized that they weren’t going to get a big order for cricket balls from us. But then we came across Pramesh Bhai, a young entrepreneur, innovator and founder of Enna Sports.

Furthermore, many suppliers were hesitant to provide small-scale samples, often demanding to know exactly how their materials would be used. The entire process ended up being highly expensive, with the shipping costs frequently outpricing the material samples themselves.

Most materials I found were highly durable and rugged—better suited for car seats, belts, bags, and jackets than my specific needs. To keep the development manageable under these constraints, I focused on testing just one or two performance variables at a time.

Research showed its versatility spanned shoes, bags, accessories, and even rigid surfaces like tabletops, eyeglass cases, and rolled blinds. Crucially, unlike chemical-laden, non-biodegradable animal leather, this material was 100% biodegradable and entirely free of plastics or polymers—all while retaining incredible strength and shine. It had an earthy husky aroma, perhaps due to the fermentation process it had been through. Even then, it held the potential to create a completely biodegradable ball.

Before opening the package containing the olive leather sample, I imagined receiving a thick, moldable, and rubbery material—something akin to a chewy olive or a prune. Instead, I discovered a sophisticated, soft, and structured fine-grain leather crafted from agricultural waste, specifically olive seeds, leaves, and pomace.

The biggest hurdle was its thickness, which was even lower than that of the coconut leather. Even when doubled, the material still measured less than 2mm. This fell far short of our requirement for an outer ball layer, which demands a thickness of 3.5mm to 4mm.

To overcome this, Pramesh Bhai suggested laminating two layers together using a glue or resin binding agent. Executing this experiment took ten weeks, factoring in international logistics, precise gluing, and extended drying times. Unfortunately, the attempt failed. The combined material still lacked the necessary thickness and moldability to form a proper sphere. Discover more about this attempt on Instagram.

It was only recently, when I began researching alternative materials, that I realized "Cactus" was not just a clever brand name. The leather was, in fact, literally made from cactus plants.

Hoping to reconnect, I called the shop's owner, Jo, only to learn he had since closed the storefront. Fortunately, Jo had relocated to East London and still kept samples at his workshop. When I went to collect a cactus leather sample, I asked him about his preferences when working with different materials. In response, he laid down two unmarked pieces of leather and challenged me to identify them. It was incredibly difficult; the only real giveaway was the distinct, earthy smell of the animal-based hide. The cactus leather was entirely odorless.

This revelation gave me a massive burst of confidence, prompting me to investigate cactus leather as our primary choice. Before diving into prototyping, I committed to formal, rigorous research to see if it stood a chance. I launched a comparative study that was later published in the International Journal of High School Research and earned a Gold CREST Award.

Having exhausted most of the popular plant-based options, I turned my attention toward polymer- and plastic-based leathers. Although I knew these materials were neither sustainable nor biodegradable, they still aligned with my core goal of avoiding animal cruelty. During this search, I came across Aurora Faux Leather, which closely mimicked conventional animal hide. It featured a textile base with a crushed grain face designed to replicate the texture of traditional leather.

Our fifth attempt yielded our very first physical prototype. For this trial, we turned to a PVC leather sourced from a sustainability-oriented company in Kanpur. Unlike our previous attempts, this material actually possessed the desired thickness right out of the box and offered promising durability. However, it still lacked the precise moldability of traditional animal leather—this time because it was far too soft.

Armed with these insights, we sent our detailed feedback back to the Kanpur supplier. Intrigued by the challenge, their team wondered if they could alter the formulation by adding a stiffening agent to give the material the rigidity and moldability we needed. The supplier modified the composition and shipped over a new, updated sample. With this revised material in hand, we immediately went back to work and constructed our second prototype.

If you observe this second version carefully, you can see visible progress. The new stiffening agent allowed the ball to hold a slightly better, truer spherical shape. More importantly, the sturdier compound meant there was far less structural damage to the material around the seams, with the outer layer finally resisting the immense tension of the hand stitching.

Discover more about this attempt on Instagram.

Moving forward, the main engineering puzzle is trying to replicate the highly moldable collagen matrix one can find only in real animal hide. It is the exact molecular structure that lets the material stretch, mould, and lock into a rock-hard, impact-resistant sphere under heat and pressure without ending up deformed or deshaped To pull this off while staying 100% committed to keeping the ball sustainable and biodegradable, the next phase of the project is going to focus on two big areas:

Teaming Up with Labs for Custom Bio-Materials: We want to reach out to biotech companies and materials science labs to see if they can help us engineer a custom, bio-fabricated material from scratch. The dream is to develop a plant-based or lab-grown composite that bends and stretches exactly like real leather under heat, so the ball can hold a perfect sphere and handle being stitched along the seam without tearing.

Find more about this attempt on Instagram.