In a remarkable fusion of sport, diplomacy, and commerce, UK-based Indian-origin marketing leader Manish Tiwari won a historic cricket bat at a charity auction supporting grassroots cricket in the UK.

The bat, signed by India’s 2024 T20 World Cup-winning squad, has become a symbol of the growing collaboration between India and the United Kingdom.

PM Modi’s Gift to Bucks Cricket

Tiwari, founder of Here&Now365, a leading multicultural marketing consultancy, secured the bat shortly after the India–UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was signed in July 2025. The bat had originally been presented as a symbolic gift by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bucks Cricket during the FTA signing ceremony at Chequers Estate, in the presence of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on July 24, 2025.

Cricket, a sport that has long served as a cultural bridge between India and the UK, was chosen deliberately.

By gifting a bat signed by the T20 World Cup champions, Modi celebrated the nations’ shared sporting heritage while signaling a partnership rooted in mutual respect and shared successes.

The subsequent auction transformed the bat into a tool for social impact, with proceeds funding cricket coaching programs for underprivileged children in Buckinghamshire. Speaking about the acquisition, Tiwari said, "Keir Starmer’s visit and the landmark Free Trade Agreement herald a new chapter of collaboration between our nations. Playing with a straight bat - the Keir Starmer legacy of free trade - sets an example for future partnerships."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s first official visit to India from October 8–9, 2025, highlighted the UK’s commitment to deepening economic ties with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. While trade remains central to the India–UK relationship, the events surrounding the bat auction demonstrate that the partnership extends well beyond economics.

From sports diplomacy and cultural collaborations to educational exchanges, both nations are investing in a multi-dimensional relationship, with the cricket bat serving as a reminder that diplomacy often finds its most meaningful expressions outside formal boardrooms.