Recently, India has increased its engagement with Maldives. This development coincides with the growing strategic competition between India and China over the Indian Ocean’s littoral states. New Delhi has employed a range of hard- and soft-­power instruments to operationalize India’s smart-­power influence in Maldives. However, the “India Out” protests and #saveaddu online campaigns have exposed the lack of equilibrium between India’s hard and soft power in its smart-­power matrix. This study argues that India needs to prioritize its soft-­power inputs in Malé to restore the balance in its smart-­power matrix. Therefore, the objective of this article is to offer recommendations on how New Delhi can optimize its hard and soft power by promoting cricket diplomacy as a soft-­power tool to enhance India’s national influence in Maldives.