The USA is about to witness the return of cricket in a major way, with the inaugural season of Major League Cricket (MLC) set to kick off.
Cricket Returns to the USA with a Bang!
The first ball was bowled, the first six were hit, and the fans went wild. Major League Cricket (MLC) had finally arrived in the United States, and it was everything fans had hoped for and more. The wait is finally over for cricket lovers in the U.S.The inaugural season of Major League Cricket (MLC) got underway on July 13, with matches being played in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Morrisville, North Carolina.
The MLC is a major step forward for cricket in the United States. It is the most serious attempt yet to establish domestic competition in the country, and it has the potential to reach a whole new audience.
The tournament is backed by some of the biggest names in cricket, including the International Cricket Council (ICC), Indian Premier League franchises, and desi tech heavyweights like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. This means that the MLC is sure to be a high-quality product, and it will be a great opportunity for American fans to see some of the best cricketers in the world in action.
The match was played at a purpose-built cricket stadium just a 15-minute drive from Dallas Fort Worth airport. The stadium was packed with fans, who were decked out in the yellow shirts of the victorious home side, the Texas Super Kings.
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The Big Six: The Best Cricket Teams in America
The Major League Cricket (MLC) kicked off its inaugural season on July 13, 2023, with six teams from across the United States. The teams are:
Washington Freedom
Texas Super Kings
MI New York
LA Knight Riders
Seattle Orcas
San Francisco Unicorns
The games this season will be split between Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and Church Street Park, in Morrisville, North Carolina. However, each team is expected to have its own home stadium in the future.
There will be 19 group-stage matches, and the top four teams will make it to the playoffs. Much like the IPL format, the top teams will play an eliminator, qualifier, challenger, and then the final match to decide the winner of the tournament.
USA Teams
Texas Super Kings
Captain: Faf du Plessis
Vice-captain: Mitchell Santner
Batsmen: Milind Kumar, Sami Aslam, Cody Chetty, Saiteja Mukkamalla, David Miller, Devon Conway
Bowlers: Calvin Savage, Zia Shahzad, Dwayne Bravo, Daniel Sams, Lahiru Milantha, Rusty Theron, Cameron Stevenson, Gerald Coetzee
Seattle Orcas
Captain: Wayne Parnell
Vice-captain: Mitchell Marsh
Batsmen: Shehan Jayasuriya, Aaron Jones, Nauman Anwar, Angelo Perera, Harmeet Singh, Shubham Ranjane
Bowlers: Cameron Gannon, Dasun Shanaka, Sikandar Raza, Quinton de Kock, Phani Simhadri, Matthew Tromp, Andrew Tye
San Francisco Unicorns
Captain: Aaron Finch
Vice-captain: Marcus Stoinis
Batsmen: Matthew Wade, Qais Ahmed, Finn Allen, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Lungi Ngidi, Corey Anderson
Bowlers: Chaitanya Bishnoi, Brody Couch, Sanjay Krishnamurti, Carmi Leroux, Smit Patel, Liam Plunkett, Tajinder Singh, David White
LA Knight Riders
Captain: Sunil Narine
Batsmen: Jason Roy, Martin Guptill, Nitish Kumar, Rilee Rossouw, Saif Badar, Unmukt Chand, Jaskaran Malhotra
All-rounders: Ali Sheikh, Andre Russell, Bhaskar Yadram, Shadley van Schalkwyk
Bowlers: Adam Zampa, Ali Khan, Corne Dry, Lockie Ferguson
Washington Freedom
Captain: Moises Henriques
Batsmen: Mukhtar Ahmed, Saad Ali, Sujith Gowda, Glenn Phillips, Josh Philippe
All-rounders: Jacobus Pienaar, Justin Dill, Anrich Nortje, Dane Piedt, Marco Jansen, Akhilesh Bodugum
Bowlers: Adam Milne, Ben Dwarshuis, Akeal Hosein, Andries Gous
MI New York
Captain: Kieron Pollard
Vice-captain: Tim David
Batsmen: Nicholas Pooran, Dewald Brevis, Monank Patel, Shayan Jahangir, Steven Taylor, Saideep Ganesh
Bowlers: Trent Boult, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Behrendorff, Rashid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Nosthush Kenjige, Sarbjit Ladda
Conclusion
The MLC is just the beginning of cricket's journey in the United States. With the right support, the league has the potential to become one of the most popular sports in the country.
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