Dr. Manoj Thirupal, Ph.D., M.S.W., MI Certified
Head Coach & Program Founder
Dr. Manoj Thirupal was born and raised in the slums of Chennai, India, where he first picked up a cricket bat his father made for him - unable to afford a store-bought one like other kids - and went on to captain his school team. Locally, he was known as "Chennai Express" and "Arrow" - teams recruited him specifically to help them win, even as his father's poverty was plainly visible, no shoes on his feet, worn shorts - the kind of background that elite clubs typically never accepted. He was invited in - but other kids from similar backgrounds who wanted to play often weren't invited at all, or if they did show up, were treated differently: valued only for what they could produce on the field, or how useful they were to the team, not welcomed as someone there to learn, belong, and be respected - irrespective of where they came from, their caste, or their economic background.
As an 11th grader, at 16, he clocked an average bowling speed of 147.2 km/h (about 91.5 mph), with his fastest delivery touching 152.6 km/h - fast enough to draw attention at Indian Premier League pace-bowling trials at Chepauk, where he competed among roughly 1,500 hopefuls and finished as the top-ranked candidate. He sat for a media interview as the presumed selection, with everyone around him certain his name would be announced. It never was - the interview never aired. Money, caste, and connections opened doors for other candidates, but blocked them for him.
As an 11th grader, at 16, he clocked an average bowling speed of 147.2 km/h (about 91.5 mph), with his fastest delivery touching 152.6 km/h - fast enough to draw attention at Indian Premier League pace-bowling trials at Chepauk, where he competed among roughly 1,500 hopefuls and finished as the top-ranked candidate. He sat for a media interview as the presumed selection, with everyone around him certain his name would be announced. It never was - the interview never aired. Money, caste, and connections opened doors for other candidates, but blocked them for him.
He didn't stop playing. He went on to captain Loyola College's undergraduate team, hold a reserved squad spot on Loyola University's team, and represent companies and clubs across India, including Ashok Leyland. After coming to the US to study, he saved through part-time jobs to buy his first real cricket bat in 2018 - the one his father could never afford for him.
He went on to compete internationally as a guest player with the Czech national team at the International Pepsi Cup Tournament, playing T20 cricket; the team offered him a two-year contract to stay on permanently, which he turned down. The following year, having faced him as an opponent, Mad Dogs Cricket Club, Connecticut, invited him to represent the USA at the same tournament instead.
In Spokane, he founded the Gonzaga Cricket Club to introduce cricket to local American students. He lectures at Gonzaga's School of Leadership Studies, teaching courses in organizational behavior, leading across cultures, and intercultural communication and leadership, and later established what's now the Eastside Thunder Hawks - with a vision of bringing clubs together across eastern Washington, including Spokane, Pullman, the Tri-Cities, and Idaho, to learn from each other, unlearn old rivalry mindsets, and build real collaboration. Since 2023, the Hawks have climbed every season - Division D, then C, and currently play in Division B - reaching the semifinals twice, and fielding two full teams, Falcons and Hawks, last year.
That experience - being valued for what he could do, but never fully welcomed for who he was - is why he built this program differently: every kid here is invited in fully, not just for what they can produce on the field. Sport becomes a form of healing here - a place to learn, to belong with others, and to stop being defined only by what you can do for someone else.
He went on to compete internationally as a guest player with the Czech national team at the International Pepsi Cup Tournament, playing T20 cricket; the team offered him a two-year contract to stay on permanently, which he turned down. The following year, having faced him as an opponent, Mad Dogs Cricket Club, Connecticut, invited him to represent the USA at the same tournament instead.
In Spokane, he founded the Gonzaga Cricket Club to introduce cricket to local American students. He lectures at Gonzaga's School of Leadership Studies, teaching courses in organizational behavior, leading across cultures, and intercultural communication and leadership, and later established what's now the Eastside Thunder Hawks - with a vision of bringing clubs together across eastern Washington, including Spokane, Pullman, the Tri-Cities, and Idaho, to learn from each other, unlearn old rivalry mindsets, and build real collaboration. Since 2023, the Hawks have climbed every season - Division D, then C, and currently play in Division B - reaching the semifinals twice, and fielding two full teams, Falcons and Hawks, last year.
That experience - being valued for what he could do, but never fully welcomed for who he was - is why he built this program differently: every kid here is invited in fully, not just for what they can produce on the field. Sport becomes a form of healing here - a place to learn, to belong with others, and to stop being defined only by what you can do for someone else.