DKP Made in Birmingham

WCM: How did the idea for DKP come about?

NP: We started back in 2014. The inspiration behind DKP was my dad, Dinesh. Even the name DKP is taken from Dad’s initials. He was a big cricket player himself. I grew up in inner-city Birmingham, pretty close to the city centre. There aren’t too many cricket clubs in that area, so me and Dad used to go to a ground near the airport to play. Civil Service CC was the club. Unfortunately the airport got permission to extend and the ground got closed down in the mid-2000s, but that’s where my passion came from. It started with going along and watching my dad play, and then I started playing alongside him. He passed away in 2010 from heart disease, so now we play a yearly memorial match to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

WCM: How did the brand come into existence?

NP: I just started selling branded gear initially, but then we ended up is that a lot gets made abroad: bats get shipped here and sold off. So we thought we’d keep things as local as possible. The softs get made in India, but the bats we’ve kept local. We’re not massive as we like to keep the business in the family. My uncle Mohan retired three years ago, and he’s helping with the business now doing the bat polishing and finishing. It fills his time nicely! There are only six of us. A couple of guys who produce the bats – plus myself, my uncle, and a couple of other guys who help out with repairs and maintenance.

WCM: And it’s still going?

NP: Yeah, the press still does the job now, it’s incredible. A lot of companies get their presses made in India or Pakistan nowadays because of the cost, but because he was retiring he did us a decent deal.

WCM: It feels like a properly organic ‘locally sourced’ story...

NP: Yeah, I guess it’s a kind of ‘made in Birmingham’ story. The guy who makes our bats is from the area too. What’s happening with the cricket market is that a lot gets made abroad: bats get shipped here and sold off. So we thought we’d keep things as local as possible. The softs get made in India, but the bats we’ve kept local. We’re not massive as we like to keep the business in the family. My uncle Mohan retired three years ago, and he’s helping with the business now doing the bat polishing and finishing. It fills his time nicely! There are only six of us. A couple of guys who produce the bats – plus myself, my uncle, and a couple of other guys who help out with repairs and maintenance.

WCM: When did DKP start to become a serious proposition?

NP: Just before Covid, quite a lot of businesses sunk. But because people were stuck at home generally, in 2020 it really took off. People weren’t going away and teams had crazy availability for nets, so people were buying our kit. We started getting quite a lot of orders from abroad, people ordering custom-made bats from Australia and America in particular.

WCM: How are you keeping things affordable?

NP: Because everything is locally made, we’ve been able to keep our costs on the lower side. We all agree that the cricket market is becoming ridiculous when it comes to bats and softs. Knowing what it’s like to start in the inner city, people can’t fork out a grand for cricket kit. It’s like making another mortgage payment.

WCM: What does the future for DKP look like?

NP: Hopefully there’s room to expand down the line. Last year was one of our busiest seasons but we did well and the batmakers weren’t too pushed. We want to make 1,000 this year.

The Bats

DKP bats are handcrafted in England, each one made using traditional methods from the past and combining them with modern
techniques so that their bats are geared towards the present demands of the modern player.

Custom-made bats
• You can tailor your own DKP bat, with control over the following specifications: toe, handle, shape, grade of willow, weight, bat length, sweet-spot position, blade profile, stickers and face profile
• Personalisation – they can laser engrave your initials, logos or anything you’d like onto the bat

The DKP Elements Range

The Elements range presents four distinct models: the Core, Aqua, Fire and Air – with each offering the user a different type of shot-making experience. Pricing varies from £120 (junior), up to £380 (the top-range adult bat), and bats come in a range of weights, grades and sizes, including Players Grade 1+, Grade 1 and Grade 2 English willow.

AIR Delivers power and control with a mid-middle and an exaggerated hump in the sweet spot

AQUA A powerhouse in the hands of aggressive batters, featuring a low sweet-spot, thick edges and a pronounced spine

CORE Thick edges, a pronounced spine and a mid-to-low sweet spot, a bat known for its durability and power

FIRE A full duckbill profile adds thickness to the toe yet aids pick-up for better balance

The Balls

DKP Legacy cricket ball

The DKP Legacy cricket ball is made from a four-piece leather construction and superior quality leather. These balls are water-proofed and have high abrasion resistance and excellent shape retention. Available in pink, red and white. Individual balls start from £12.99 but boxes of three are £35.99, a box of six is £65.99, and 12 comes in at £139.99. Superb value.

WCM RECOMMENDS

The DKP bundle

The DKP bundle packages are a godsend for the financially stretched cricketer. The offers start at £400 for adults, but even this, as the lowest bundle out there, still features a Grade 1 bat, along with a pair of batting gloves and pads – and you can add a bag and thigh pad to the package for slightly more again. In the context of general market pricings, this is a fabulous deal.

In an era where mass production dominates, DKP Cricket remains true to the art of traditional bat-making, crafting handmade custom cricket bats in England with precision and passion. Each bat is catered to suit the modern-day player, individually shaped from the finest English willow. This, to us, is the key point – the Patel boys are steeped in the club scene. They know what cricketers are like, and because of this, they also know that being one is not a cheap hobby. The standout is the DKP ‘bundle’, which speaks volumes for the brand. It’s not just one of the best offers on the market; more than that, it reflects the values of the boys who set it up in the first place. You can find DKP's full range of products on their website.

"I’ve been using DKP for a few years now and absolutely love their gear. They’ve got beautiful faces, thick edges and a full profile and I can’t wait to use them again this year Conor McKerr" – Nottinghamshire and ex-Surrey star