Major League Cricket: Venues, Formats, Teams, Players – Here’s All You Need To Know

Get ready for the action-packed debut of Major League Cricket (MLC) as it begins on July 13, 2023. The organizers have officially released the schedule of the tournament, which includes 19 exciting matches including the playoffs.

The MLC not only marks the grand entry of USA Cricket on the global cricket stage but also offers a glimpse into the evolution of the game in the country. The United States is set to co-host the 2024 T20 World Cup with the West Indies.

The MLC will begin with a thrilling clash between two IPL based franchises, Texas Super Kings and Los Angeles Knight Riders. Squads for all six franchises were formed through the inaugural draft held in Texas in March 2023, consisting of a mix of renowned international players and promising local talent.

The tournament is divided into two phases, beginning with an opening weekend featuring eight matches at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas. Two matches will be played at 3:30 PM (Central Daylight Time), while the rest of the matches will be played at 7:30 PM (Central Daylight Time) in the evening.

The following seven league matches will take place at Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina. All matches at this venue will start at 5:30 PM (Eastern Daylight Time).

Here is the complete schedule of MLC:

Four of the six franchises will qualify for the playoffs. The knockout stage will consist of four matches including the final, with the remaining matches being called Eliminators, Qualifiers and Challengers.

Here is the list of participating franchises in MLC 2023:

Texas Super Kings
seattle orcas
MI New York
san francisco unicorns
los angeles knight riders
Washington Freedom
Here’s a look at the teams after the first round of the MLC draft:

Texas Super Kings

Rusty Theron, bowler | Age: 37

Kelvin Savage, all-rounder | Age: 30

Lahiru Milantha, Wicket Keeper/Batsman | Age: 28

Milind Kumar, Batsman | Age: 32

Sami Aslam, Batsman | Age: 27

Cameron Stevenson, bowler | Age: 30

Cody Chetty, batter | Age: 31

Jia Shahzad, all-rounder | Age: 26

Saiteja Mukkamalla, Batter | Age: 18

seattle orcas

Harmeet Singh, all-rounder | Age: 30

Shehan Jayasuriya, Batsman | Age: 31

Shubham Ranjane, the all-rounder | Age: 28

Cameron Gannon, all-rounder | Age: 34

Aaron Jones, batsman | Age: 28

Nauman Anwar, batsman | Age: 27

Phani Simhadri, bowler | Age: 31

Angelo Pereira, batsman | Age: 33

Matthew Tromp, bowler | Age: 17

International signings: Quinton de Kock, Mitchell Marsh

MI New York

Steven Taylor, batter | Age: 29

Hammad Azam, all-rounder | Age: 32

Ehsan Adil, bowler | Age: 30

Nostush Kenzige, bowler | Age: 32

Monank Patel, Wicket Keeper/Batsman | Age: 29

Sarabjit Singh Ladda, Bowler | Age: 36

Shayan Jahangir, wicket-keeper/batsman | Age: 31

Kyle Phillip, bowler | Age: 26

Saideep Ganesh, Wicket Keeper/Batsman | Age: 22

san francisco unicorns

Corey Anderson, all-rounder | Age: 32

Liam Plunkett, bowler | Age: 37

Tajinder Singh, Batsman | Age: 30

Chaitanya Bishnoi, batter | Age: 28

Carmi Le Roux, bowler | Age: 29

Brodie Couch, bowler | Age: 23

David White, batter | Age: 31

Smit Patel, Wicket Keeper/Batsman | Age: 29

Sanjay Krishnamurthy, all-rounder | Age: 19

International signings: Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis.

los angeles knight riders

Ali Khan, bowler | Age: 32

Unmukt Chand, Batter | Age: 29

Jaskaran Malhotra, Batsman | Age: 33

Nitish Kumar, Batsman | Age: 28

Corn Dry, Baller | Age: 30

Ali Sheikh, the all-rounder | Age: 20

Saif Badar, Batsman | Age: 24

Shadley van Schalkwyk, all-rounder | Age: 34

Bhaskar Yadram, all-rounder | Age: 23

Washington Freedom

Andries Gus, wicket-keeper/batsman | Age: 29

Mukhtar Ahmed, Batsman | Age: 30

OBS Pinar, Batter | Age: 33

Saurabh Netrawalkar, bowler | Age: 31

Saad Ali, batter | Age: 29

Dane Piedt, bowler | Age: 33

Sujit Gowda, Batsman | Age: 26

Justin Dill, bowler | Age: 28

Akhilesh Bodugam, bowler | Age: 22

International signings: Anrich Nortje, Wanindu Hasaranga