You’ve heard of Major League Baseball, but now the USA is getting another Major League – Cricket. And it’s all set to kick off in 2023.
T20 is rapidly populating the international cricket calendar, with professional leagues in virtually every major cricketing nation.
We’ve seen Canada’s Global T20 league play host to some big Aussie names, with the likes of Chris Lynn featuring across multiple seasons, and David Warner and Steve Smith taking part during their international bans in 2018.
And now America is joining the global T20 party with a Major League of its own, with the ‘Major League Cricket’ competition set to kick off its inaugural season in 2023.
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It will become America’s first major T20 league, founded to be USA Cricket’s sole and prominent competition with an aim to attract international stars and develop local USA cricket talent.
This means that no other board, such as the BCCI or ICC, can set up a league in America, as USA cricket has the sole rights to develop the competition.
Its inaugural season will take place across a three-week block, with six teams to feature, and the opportunity for expansion into future seasons.
The league has also already secured substantial investment, receiving $120m worth of funding in May, with much of the money to go towards building infrastructure, including stadiums and training facilities.
Progress is already underway on building five stadiums, which will also likely serve as venues for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which the USA will jointly host with the West Indies:
| Location | Capacity |
| Grand Prairie, Texas | 10,000-15,000 |
| Morrisville, North Carolina | 15,000-20,000 |
| Houston, Texas | 6,000-8,000 |
| San Jose, California | 15,000 |
| King County, Washington | 10,000 |
The stadium in California is reportedly being funded by the Knight Riders Group, owned by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, and owners of the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL franchise, with a reported $30 million going towards its development.
‘SRK’ has also given significant endorsement to the competition, and shapes as one of its key stakeholders, as one of the first to invest.
The Minor League Cricket competition, which held its first edition in 2021, already has a strong sponsorship base behind it, meaning the Major League already has the potential to begin with strong funding.
Toyota and gas company Sunoco are the sponsors for the Minor League, while Sling TV holds the broadcast rights.
Major League Cricket has already received some notable player signings and endorsements – Indian-turned-American Unmukt Chand, who featured for the Melbourne Renegades in last season’s edition of the BBL, and English fast bowler Liam Plunkett – with the pair signing on with the league for its inaugural season.
The likes of the IPL, the BBL, and the PSL are the big T20 drawcards for players and fans alike – but it won’t be long until the MLC is the next big thing.
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