Major League Cricket (MLC) on Wednesday announced the dates for its inaugural edition in the summer of 2023, a tournament which will witness some of the world’s top cricketers in the United States for the first time.
As per the schedule, the league’s opening match will be held on July 13, 2023, at the newly-constructed Major League Cricket (MLC) venue, Grand Prairie Stadium. The inaugural season will feature 19 matches to be played over 18 days, building up to the first-ever MLC championship final to take place on July 30, 2023.
Notably, six teams from major metropolitan areas — representing Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Seattle and New York City — will sign many top cricketing stars alongside some of the best talented players from the United States, playing the T20 format of the game.
Commenting on the development, Justin Geale, MLC tournament director, said: “Next summer, the eyes of world cricket will be on the launch of Major League Cricket, with the stars of the game competing over three weeks of fast-paced T20 action.”
“The launch of MLC will transform American cricket and provide one of the best platforms in the sport for the world’s most elite players to showcase their skills while also fast-tracking the development of domestic talent to feature in the league,” he added.
A ceremony at Grand Prairie Stadium marked the installation of the 7,200-capacity venue’s playing pitch, with construction set to be complete in spring 2023. Grand Prairie Stadium, located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, will be the competition’s primary venue for the 2023 season and home venue for Dallas’ MLC team.
MLC’s investor group, featuring some of America’s top business leaders, includes Dallas-based investors Ross Perot Jr. and Anurag Jain. Grand Prairie Stadium, the former home of the Texas AirHogs, is being converted to a cricket-specific facility at a cost of USD20 million with an addition of seats around the oval increasing permanent capacity to over 7,000.
Significantly, the MLC will be the first professional T20 cricket championship in the United States, sanctioned by USA Cricket.