This article is about the sport. For the insect, see Cricket (insect).

For other
uses, see Cricket (disambiguation).
"Cricketer" redirects here. For other uses, see Cricketer (disambiguation).
Page semi-protected
Cricket
Pollock to Hussey.jpg
A bowler bowling to a batsman. The paler strip is the cricket pitch. The two set
s of three wooden stumps on the pitch are the wickets. The two white lines are t
he creases.
Highest governing body International Cricket Council
First played 18th century (modern), England
Characteristics
Team members 11 players per side
with some substitute players (can act as fielders only) permitted (in cases of i
njury, illness, fatigue).
Mixed gender Single
Type Team, Bat-and-ball
Equipment Cricket ball, cricket bat,
wicket: stumps, bails , several protective gear.
Venue Cricket field
Presence
Olympic 1900 Summer Olympics only
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players each on a
field at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. Each team take
s its turn to bat, attempting to score runs, while the other team fields. Each t
urn is known as an innings.
The bowler delivers the ball to the batsman who attempts to hit the ball with hi
s bat away from the fielders so he can run to the other end of the pitch and sco
re a run. Each batsman continues batting until he is out. The batting team conti
nues batting until ten batsmen are out, or a specified number of overs of six ba
lls have been bowled, at which point the teams switch roles and the fielding tea
m comes in to bat.
In professional cricket the length of a game ranges from 20 overs per side to Te
st cricket played over five days. The Laws of Cricket are maintained by the Inte
rnational Cricket Council (ICC) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) with addit
ional Standard Playing Conditions for Test matches and One Day Internationals.[1
]
Cricket was first played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of
the 18th century, it had developed to be the national sport of England. The expa
nsion of the British Empire led to cricket being played overseas and by the mid-
19th century the first international match was held. ICC, the game's governing b
ody, has 10 full members.[2] The game is most popular in Australasia, England, t
he Indian subcontinent, the West Indies and Southern This article is about the s
pecific "Maratha caste". For the wider group of Marathi speakers, see Marathi pe
ople.
Maratha
Maratha Solider.jpg
Engraving of a Maratha Soldier by James Forbes, 1813.
Religions Om.svg Hinduism
Languages Marathi ( ????? )
Populated States Major: Maharashtra
Minor: Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
The Maratha (IPA: ['m?ra?a]; archaically transliterated as Marhatta or Mahratta)
are found predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Maratha has two r
elated usages: within the Marathi-speaking region it describes the dominant Mara
tha caste; historically, the term describes the Maratha Kingdom founded by Shiva
ji in the seventeenth century and continued by his successors.[1]
The Marathas primarily reside in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Madhya Prades
h, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. Those in Goa and neighbouring Karwar are known sp
ecifically as Konkan Marathas as an affiliation to their regional and linguistic
alignment.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 Varna status
3 Maratha clans
4 History
4.1 Before Shivaji
4.2 Maratha Empire
5 Maratha dynasties and states
6 Internal diaspora
7 Political participation
8 Military service
9 See also
10 References
11 Further reading
Etymology[edit]
Maharashtra (in red) is the homeland for most of the Maratha people.
The modern Marathi language developed from the Prakrit known as Maharashtri.[3]
The words Maratha and Marathi may be a derivative of the Prakrit Marhatta found
in Jain Maharashtri literature.
The generally accepted theory among the scholars is that the words Maratha and M
aharashtra ultimately derive from a compound of Maha (Sanskrit for "great") and
rashtrika.[4] The word rashtrika is a Sanskritized form of Ratta, the name of a
tribe or a dynasty of petty chiefs ruling in the Deccan region.[5] Another theor
y is that the term is derived from Maha ("great") and rathi or ratha (charioteer
).[5]
An alternative theory states that the term derives from the words Maha ("Great")
and Rashtra ("nation/dominion").[citation needed]
Varna status[edit]
The varna of the Maratha is a contested issue, with arguments for their being of
the Kshatriya (warrior) varna, and others for their being of peasant origins. T
his issue was the subject of antagonism between the Brahmins and Marathas, datin
g back to the time of Shivaji, but by the late 19th century moderate Brahmins we
re keen to ally with the influential Marathas of Bombay in the interests of Indi
an independence from Britain. These Brahmins supported the Maratha claim to Ksha
triya status, and the legend of Shivaji, but their success in this political all
iance was sporadic, and fell apart entirely following independence in 1947.[6]