Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Major League Cricket aims for US breakthrough

MLC has been sanctioned by USA Cricket and the International Cricket Council

Major League Cricket aims for US breakthrough

THE most ambitious attempt yet to establish professional cricket in the US started on Wednesday (12) when wickets will be pitched for the start of the inaugural season of Major League Cricket.

With backing from four franchises in the Indian Premier League, including the league's most successful teams the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings, MLC has plenty of money and expertise behind it, unlike prior attempts to crack the American market.


As well as financial muscle and television deals, MLC has also been sanctioned by USA Cricket and the International Cricket Council -- rubber stamps that have been absent from short-lived private ventures in the past.

Like the IPL, the league will play the shortest and most explosive version of cricket, Twenty20, and has recruited some experienced international players.

England opening batsman Jason Roy, Australian batsman Aaron Finch, South African pace bowler Kagiso Rabada and West Indies spinner Sunil Narine are among the foreign players drafted by the six teams.

While cricket has long been played at a recreational level in the USA -- the first-ever international game being between the USA and Canada at New York in 1844 -- there remains a shortage of facilities for the sport in a country where baseball is beloved.

A former baseball park in North Texas, Grand Prairie Stadium, has been transformed into a cricket-specific venue and will be the site of the opener when the Texas Super Kings face the Los Angeles Knight Riders.

Other games will be played in Morrisville, North Carolina, before the playoffs and final return to Texas.

While organisers expect good levels of support from fans with family backgrounds in cricket-loving countries, they aim to gradually win over the broader American public.

"The goal is to grow the game of cricket and expose the sport in the USA," said tournament director Justin Geale.

"We've got some of the best players in the world that can actually represent the product, do it justice. So it's going to be a good quality game of cricket that gives us the best chance to show existing fans and new fans the game.

"We've got as far as anyone ever has. So after all the false starts, I think it's finally here."

"I think it's going to be huge. I think after the IPL this is going to be the second biggest league," America's star pace bowler Ali Khan was quoted as saying by the BBC.

"Why? Because the market is here, the sponsors are here, the money is here. It's a big country. There is so much opportunity. It's life-changing for us."

Recently, the US team made the Cricket World Cup Qualifier for the first time in almost two decades. They hope that the MLC helps grow a fledgling domestic scene and improving national side.

Started with Minor League Cricket

Part of the groundwork that MLC did was been the creation of Minor League Cricket, a 26-team competition which began in 2021 to spark domestic player development.

The teams will feature a maximum of six foreign players and a minimum of five domestic players and Geale says developing a talent pool for the USA national team is a big part of the mission.

"Building talent here domestically is one of our big pillars for sustainability," he said.

It will be a challenge for coaches and captains to manage teams with experienced international players alongside emerging domestic players but South African Robin Peterson, head coach of the Mumbai Indians-backed MI New York team, says it will work.

"In my experience, I found that the local boys tend to learn quite a bit playing alongside these superstars," he said.

"I've seen it firsthand in the SA20 and even if you look at the growth and trajectory of the Indian cricket since the inception of the IPL, it has just been amazing the amount of talent that they're producing.

"I see the league here playing a similar role for USA cricket."

As well as the involvement of IPL teams, Australia's Cricket Victoria has a high-performance partnership with the San Francisco Unicorns and Cricket New South Wales has a similar role with the Washington Freedom.

The league has broadcast deals with streaming service Willow TV, whose owners are also investors in MLC, and also with Viacom18 in India.

Peterson is optimistic that T20, much more than longer forms of the game, has the ingredients to win eyeballs in the American market.

"It's becoming more entertainment," he said. "It speaks to the American sporting psyche where the players are a lot more physical, fitter, stronger, hit the ball further.

"It's an exciting project. I think it's about time people start taking cricket seriously in America."

(AFP)

More For You

JLR-Tata-Getty

JLR had initially planned to manufacture more than 70,000 electric vehicles at the facility. (Photo: Getty Images)

JLR halts plan to build EVs at Tata’s India plant: Report

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) has put on hold plans to manufacture electric vehicles at Tata Motors’ upcoming £775 million factory in southern India, according to a news report.

The decision was influenced by challenges in balancing price and quality for locally sourced EV components, three of the sources said. They added that slowing demand for electric vehicles was also a factor.

Keep ReadingShow less
budget friendly spring destinations

Lock in affordable trips and avoid inflated prices

iStock

Top 7 budget-friendly spring destinations for 2025

With spring break just around the corner, it's time to lock in affordable trips and avoid inflated prices. Booking three weeks to a month in advance can help secure the best deals. Spring 2025 is shaping up to be a great time for travel, with airfares for international trips down by 3% and hotel rates decreasing by 2%, making it easier than ever to plan a memorable trip without breaking the bank. Here are seven top destinations to explore on a budget this spring.

1. Big Bear, California

Big Bear Lake, CaliforniaiStock

Keep ReadingShow less
Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

Sarju Khushal

Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

A MAN who supplied controlled drugs on a ‘wholesale’ scale across Leicestershire has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Sarju Khushal, 30, was arrested in 2022 after investigations revealed he had been transporting drugs from Lancashire into the area.

Khushal, formerly of Hazeldene Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to several charges, including the supply and conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He was sentenced at Leicester crown court last Thursday (6).

Keep ReadingShow less
Tamil Nadu Education

Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people

Getty images

Education or imposition? Tamil Nadu battles India government over Hindi in schools

A war of words has erupted between Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin and the federal government over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends a three-language formula in schools, with two of the three being native to India. Stalin has voiced strong objections, claiming that the policy could lead to the imposition of Hindi, a northern Indian language, in non-Hindi-speaking states like Tamil Nadu. The issue has reignited old tensions between southern states and the central government over the privileging of Hindi.

Historical resistance to Hindi

Tamil Nadu has a deep-rooted history of opposing the promotion of Hindi, dating back to the 1960s. Protests broke out in the state when the federal government attempted to make Hindi the sole official language, leading to a compromise that allowed the continued use of English. Language in Tamil Nadu is not merely a means of communication but a powerful symbol of cultural identity. Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people. As a result, any perceived threat to its prominence is met with strong resistance.

Keep ReadingShow less