A new book, Lord’s and Maharajas, looks at the royal rivalries, political negotiations and institutional hurdles behind India’s first cricket tour of Britain in 1932 and the formation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Published by Fairfield Books, it was launched on October 12, 2026.

The book is researched, narrated and edited by Ranasaheb Digvijaysinh Kathiwada, who draws on contemporary newspaper reports and archival material. Kathiwada is the great-grandnephew of the Maharaja of Porbandar, giving the research what the publisher describes as a personal family connection.

The narrative centres on the Maharaja of Porbandar, who was appointed captain of the 1932 touring team, and on the difficulty of assembling a side amid competing royal interests and the political tensions of British India. It also features cricketing figures including C. K. Nayudu, who captained India in its inaugural Test at Lord’s, alongside Ranjitsinhji and Douglas Jardine.

By tracing the origins of the BCCI and the events leading to India’s first Test, the book examines how sport, royal patronage and colonial-era politics intersected at a pivotal moment in the subcontinent’s history. The publisher says it offers readers a deeper understanding of the foundations of Indian cricket and its later rise as a global force.

The announcement does not give the book’s price, format, page count or where it is available.