| Dates | 13 – July 30, 2023 | 
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | American Cricket Enterprises  USA Cricket  | 
| Cricket format | Twenty20 | 
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and playoffs | 
| Host(s) | United States | 
| Champions | MI New York (1st title) | 
| Runners-up | Seattle Orcas | 
| Participants | 6 | 
| Matches | 19 | 
| Attendance | 70,000 (3,684 per match) | 
| Player of the series | Nicholas Pooran (MI New York) | 
| Most runs | Nicholas Pooran (MI New York) (388) | 
| Most wickets | Trent Boult (MI New York) (22) | 
| Official website | www | 
The 2023 Major League Cricket season (also known as the 2023 MLC) was the inaugural season of the Major League Cricket,[1] a franchise Twenty20 cricket league established in 2019 by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) in the United States.[2] The season was hosted at two venues, Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas and Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina.[3] The season was played from July 13 to 30, 2023,[4] with MI New York defeating the Seattle Orcas by seven wickets to win the inaugural title.[5][6]
Background
Major League Cricket announced in November 2022 that its inaugural season would be played at Grand Prairie Stadium starting July 13 and concluding July 30.[7] MLC also revealed that the tournament would be played in a single round-robin format with fifteen league matches played among six franchises before a four-match play-off phase.[8][9]
In March 2023, the teams for the tournament were announced ahead of the league's inaugural draft – called the Texas Super Kings, the Seattle Orcas, the Los Angeles Knight Riders, the Washington Freedom, the MI New York, and the San Francisco Unicorns respectively.[10][11] The draft for the season was then held on March 19, with Harmeet Singh being picked first overall and Aaron Finch and Quinton de Kock among others highlighting the draft.[12][13] In the buildup to the season opener, teams signed multiple other players including Jason Roy, Adam Zampa, and Moises Henriques.[14]
In April, USA Cricket – the governing body of cricket in the United States – officially sanctioned the tournament following a dispute with tournament organizers, American Cricket Enterprises, that threatened to delay the launch of MLC.[15][16] Tournament fixtures were announced on June 12 – nearly two months later.[17][18] In addition, it also revealed that the tournament would be held at two venues, Grand Prairie Stadium and Church Street Park for the group stage,[19][20] while all playoff matches and the final would be held at Grand Prairie Stadium. Tickets for the matches were also made available on the same day.[21]
Teams
Teams were announced by MLC in March 2023, with team coaches and captains being announced in the months following.[11]
| Franchise | Head coach | Captain | 
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Knight Riders | Phil Simmons | Sunil Narine | 
| MI New York | Robin Peterson | Kieron Pollard | 
| San Francisco Unicorns | Shane Watson | Aaron Finch | 
| Seattle Orcas | Pravin Amre | Wayne Parnell | 
| Texas Super Kings | Stephen Fleming | Faf du Plessis | 
| Washington Freedom | Greg Shipperd | Moises Henriques | 
Squads
A minimum of 16 players and a maximum of 19 players can be selected by the teams with a maximum of nine overseas players. The teams can select nine local players in the draft and another one as a wildcard.
| Los Angeles Knight Riders[22] | MI New York[23] | San Francisco Unicorns | Seattle Orcas | Texas Super Kings | Washington Freedom | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | 
- Ambati Rayudu withdrew from Major League Cricket amid a proposal made by the BCCI to enact a year-long "cooling-off" period for recently retired players.[24] Rayudu was replaced by former CSK teammate Imran Tahir.[25]
 - Wanindu Hasaranga withdrew from Major League Cricket due to both not receiving a NOC (no-objection-certificate) from Sri Lanka Cricket and due to Hasaranga wanting to "manage his workloads".[26] He was replaced in the squad by Tanveer Sangha.[27]
 - Mitchell Marsh was pulled out of the tournament by Cricket Australia in order to manage his workload ahead of Australia's build-up for the 2023 Cricket World Cup and due to the tournament clashing with the Ashes series.[28]
 - Sikandar Raza withdrew from Major League Cricket due to it clashing with the 2023 Zim Afro T10.
 
Venues
Matches were held at two venus: Grand Prairie's Grand Prairie Stadium, with a capacity of 7,000 (expandable to 15,000) and Morrisville, North Carolina's Church Street Park, with a capacity of 3,500
Points table
- †
 - Advanced to the Qualifier
 - ‡
 - Advanced to the Eliminator
 
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Orcas† | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.725 | 
| 2 | Texas Super Kings† | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.570 | 
| 3 | Washington Freedom‡ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.097 | 
| 4 | MI New York‡ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.004 | 
| 5 | San Francisco Unicorns | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | −0.303 | 
| 6 | Los Angeles Knight Riders | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | −2.028 | 
League stage
Texas Super Kings 181/6 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Los Angeles Knight Riders 112 (14 overs)  | 
- Los Angeles Knight Riders won the toss and elected to field.
 
San Francisco Unicorns 215/5 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
MI New York 193/5 (20 overs)  | 
- San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to bat.
 
Washington Freedom 144/7 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Seattle Orcas 148/5 (19.4 overs)  | 
- Seattle Orcas won the toss and elected to field.
 
Seattle Orcas 177/4 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
San Francisco Unicorns 142 (17.5 overs)  | 
- Seattle Orcas won the toss and elected to bat.
 
Washington Freedom 163/5 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Texas Super Kings 157/7 (20 overs)  | 
- Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to bat.
 
MI New York 155/8 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Los Angeles Knight Riders 50 (13.5 overs)  | 
- MI New York won the toss and elected to bat.
 
Texas Super Kings 154/7 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
MI New York 137/8 (20 overs)  | 
- Texas Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat.
 
San Francisco Unicorns 212/7 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Los Angeles Knight Riders 191/5 (20 overs)  | 
- San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to bat.
 
Los Angeles Knight Riders 175/7 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Washington Freedom 177/4 (18.1 overs)  | 
- Washington Freedom won the toss elected to field.
 - Los Angeles Knight Riders were eliminated as a result of this match.
 
Texas Super Kings 127 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Seattle Orcas 128/2 (16 overs)  | 
- Seattle Orcas won the toss and elected to field.
 - Seattle Orcas qualified for the playoffs as a result of this match.
 
Washington Freedom 133/8 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
San Francisco Unicorns 103 (19.5 overs)  | 
- San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to field.
 - Washington Freedom qualified for the playoffs as a result of this match.
 
Seattle Orcas 170/6 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Los Angeles Knight Riders 175/8 (19.1 overs)  | 
- Los Angeles Knight Riders won the toss and elected to field.
 
Washington Freedom 160/6 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
MI New York 161/2 (15.3 overs)  | 
- MI New York won the toss and elected to field.
 
San Francisco Unicorns 171/8 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Texas Super Kings 172/7 (19.1 overs)  | 
- San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to bat.
 - Texas Super Kings qualified for the playoffs as a result of this match.
 
MI New York 194/8 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Seattle Orcas 195/8 (19.2 overs)  | 
- Seattle Orcas won the toss and elected to field.
 - MI New York qualified for the playoffs and San Francisco Unicorns were eliminated as a result of this match.
 
Play-offs
| Qualifier / Eliminator | Challenger | Final | |||||||||||
| July 27, 2023 - Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas, 19:30 CDT | July 30, 2023 - Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas, 19:30 CDT | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Seattle Orcas | 127/1 (15 overs) | QW | Seattle Orcas | 183/9 (20 overs) | ||||||||
| 2 | Texas Super Kings | 126/9 (20 overs) | July 28, 2023 - Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas, 19:30 CDT | CW | MI New York | 184/3 (16 overs) | |||||||
| QL | Texas Super Kings | 158 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
| July 27, 2023 - Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas, 15:30 CDT | EW | MI New York | 162/4 (19 overs) | ||||||||||
| 3 | Washington Freedom | 125/9 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
| 4 | MI New York | 141/7 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
MI New York 141/7 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Washington Freedom 125/9 (20 overs)  | 
- Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to field.
 
Texas Super Kings 126/9 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
Seattle Orcas 127/1 (15 overs)  | 
- Texas Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat.
 
Texas Super Kings 158 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
MI New York 162/4 (19 overs)  | 
- MI New York won the toss and elected to field.
 
Final
Seattle Orcas 183/9 (20 overs)  | 
v  | 
MI New York 184/3 (16 overs)  | 
- MI New York won the toss and elected to field.
 - The MI New York won the inaugural Major League Cricket tournament as a result of this match.
 
Statistics
Most runs
| Player | Team | Innings | Runs | High score | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Pooran | MI New York | 8 | 388 | 137* | 
| Quinton de Kock | Seattle Orcas | 7 | 264 | 88* | 
| Heinrich Klaasen | Seattle Orcas | 6 | 235 | 110* | 
| Devon Conway | Texas Super Kings | 7 | 221 | 74 | 
| Tim David | MI New York | 7 | 209 | 53* | 
Most wickets
| Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | Best bowling | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Boult | MI New York | 8 | 22 | 4/20 | 
| Cameron Gannon | Seattle Orcas | 7 | 11 | 4/23 | 
| Andrew Tye | Seattle Orcas | 7 | 11 | 3/32 | 
| Imad Wasim | Seattle Orcas | 7 | 10 | 2/23 | 
| Saurabh Netravalkar | Washington Freedom | 6 | 10 | 6/9 | 
Awards
On July 28, 2023, a list of end of season awards was announced.[32]
| Name | Team | Award | 
|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Pooran | MI New York | Most Valuable Player | 
| Nicholas Pooran | MI New York | Leading run scorer | 
| Trent Boult | MI New York | Leading wicket taker | 
| Cameron Gannon | Seattle Orcas | Domestic Player of the Series | 
Broadcasting
In July 2023, Major League Cricket (MLC) announced that its inaugural season will be broadcast live in major cricketing nations.[33]
| Country | Television channel | Internet streaming applications | 
|---|---|---|
| India[34][35] | Sports18 | JioCinema | 
| United States & Canada[36] | 
 Willow TV  | 
|
| Australia[37] | Fox Cricket | |
| Pakistan[38] | A Sports | 
References
- ↑ Lavalette, Tristan (November 29, 2022). "Cricket Will 'Dream Big' In The U.S. As New Pro T20 League Looms". Forbes. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - ↑ Amit Chaudhary, ET Bureau (March 25, 2023). "MLC: Cricket's American dream". The Economic Times. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - ↑ Tagore, Vijay (June 12, 2023). "MLC's first season to be played in Grand Prairie and Morrisville". Cricbuzz. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - ↑ Peter Della Penna (November 15, 2022). "Major League Cricket set for July 2023 launch in Grand Prairie". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - ↑ Abraham, Timothy (July 31, 2023). "Major League Cricket: Nicholas Pooran century inspires MI New York to inaugural title". BBC Sport. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
 - ↑ Skipworth, William (July 31, 2023). "Billionaire Ambani's New York Cricket Team Wins First Ever U.S. Major League Cricket Championship". Forbes. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
 - ↑ Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi (November 17, 2022). "Why Dallas investors are buying into major league cricket". Axios. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - ↑ Lavalette, Tristan (November 17, 2022). "The New Pro T20 League In The U.S. Is Set To Shake Up Cricket Globally". Forbes. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - ↑ "MLC: Teams, players, format, fixtures, and everything else you need to know". ESPNcricinfo. July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
 - ↑ Shapiro, Nina (April 2, 2023). "Major League Cricket is coming to Seattle. Will it become the new soccer?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - 1 2 Patel, Smit. "DC's GMR group, MI and CSK to run MLC franchises". Cricbuzz. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - ↑ "Major League Cricket draft: Harmeet Singh makes history as first MLC pick". The Times of India. March 24, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - ↑ "Finch, de Kock unveiled on Major League Cricket draft day". Al Jazeera. March 21, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - ↑ IANS (June 10, 2023). "Major League Cricket: Finch, Stoinis, Hasaranga among top cricketers to feature in MLC from July 13". The Times of India. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
 - ↑ Lavalette, Tristan (April 13, 2023). "America's Major League Cricket Has Been Sanctioned After A Dispute Threatened Its Historic Launch". Forbes. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
 - ↑ Peter Della Penna (March 23, 2023). "MLC start under threat after dispute between organisers and USA Cricket". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
 - ↑ "MLC 2023 schedule: Full fixtures list, venues and time table for Major League Cricket 2023". Wisden. June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
 - ↑ Seeley, David (June 13, 2023). "Major League Cricket Announces 2023 Season Schedule, With First-Ever Match in Grand Prairie July 13". Dallas Innovates. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
 - ↑ Wallis, Jay (November 15, 2022). "'It's an exciting time' | Major League Cricket coming to Grand Prairie in July 2023". WFAA. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
 - ↑ Bae, Cindy (May 5, 2023). "Morrisville on track to enhance cricket experience, host Major League Cricket events". ABC 11. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
 - ↑ Hays, Nate (June 14, 2023). "MLC announce schedule, Church Street Park as second venue, tickets for sale". Emerging Cricket. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
 - ↑ "Russell, Narine, Roy and Ferguson join Knight Riders in Los Angeles for MLC". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
 - ↑ "Captain Pollard, Rashid, Boult headline MI New York 2023 squad". Mumbai Indians. June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
 - ↑ "Ambati Rayudu withdraws from Major League Cricket stint with Texas Super Kings". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
 - ↑ Kuanal, James (July 12, 2023). "Texas Super Kings sign Imran Tahir after Ambati Rayudu withdraws from inaugural Major League Cricket". Sportskeeda. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
 - ↑ "Tanveer Sangha join as Hasaranga's Replacement in MLC 2023". Times of Sports News. July 13, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
 - ↑ "MLC 2023: Washington Freedom's complete list of players in Major League Cricket". Sportz Connect. Sportskeeda. July 15, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
 - ↑ "Maxwell, Marsh pulled out of the Hundred by Cricket Australia". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
 - ↑ Waris, Sarah (July 14, 2023). "Explained: Why Major League Cricket Doesn't Have Official T20 Status | MLC 2023". Wisden. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
 - ↑ ESPNCricinfo
 - ↑ ESPNcricinfo
 - ↑ @MLCricket (July 27, 2023). "My precious. Take a look at these beauties and let us know who you think will be taking them home!!! #MLCPlayoffs" (Tweet). Retrieved July 31, 2023 – via Twitter.
 - ↑ "Major League Cricket Announces Further International Broadcasters for 2023 Season". Major League Cricket. July 12, 2023.
 - ↑ "Reliance's Viacom 18 bags media rights for Major League Cricket". The Economic Times. July 7, 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
 - ↑ "Major League Cricket lands in India with Viacom18 broadcast deal". SportsPro Media. July 11, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
 - ↑ "Major League Cricket adds CBS Sports Network, Sling TV as domestic rights-holders". SportBusiness. July 17, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
 - ↑ Savage, Nic (July 13, 2023). "Everything you need to know ahead of the inaugural Major League Cricket tournament". Fox Sports. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
 - ↑ "Ary lands Major League Cricket rights in Pakistan, opening game a sellout". SportBusiness. July 11, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
 
