Five years after USA Cricket shared its plans to launch a domestic T20 tournament, the inaugural edition of the MLC kicked off having assembled an impressive array of investors.
A multi-billion dollar broadcast market, the game's most powerful board's positive intent and a perfect pitch by the global body based on a three-fold 'U-P-L' principle ensured cricket's inclusion in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
San Francisco Unicorns, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle Orcas, Texas and Washington DC are the six teams competing in the T20 tournament, to be held in the US in July.
ICC banking on T20 for cricket's inclusion in Olympics
In a significant push to popularise cricket in the US, a $120 million funding has been secured from prominent Indian-American business leaders, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, to launch the first professional T20 league in the US. Major League Cricket (MLC), the first professional Twenty20 Cricket League in the US, announced Thursday that it has completed an initial close of a $44 million Series A and A1 Fundraising Round led by a group of America's leading business leaders. It said that with an additional commitment of $76 million in further fundraising over the next 12 months in place, MLC plans to deploy more than $120 million to launch the country's first-ever professional T20 league.
'We are recreating the biggest sports rivalry in the world, which is Indians versus Pakistanis right here in the United States.'
Prominent deep-pocketed investors are lined up to finance Major League Cricket, the world's top players are supposedly ready to sign on and, according to the ICC and USA Cricket research, there is a baked-in fan base of between 15 and 20 million waiting to be served.
The Knight Riders Group (KRG), owners of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, announced that they are building a cricket stadium in Los Angeles with support from Major League Cricket (MLC).
Ireland are scheduled to play another Twenty20 game against the US and three ODIs before a tour the Caribbean to face West Indies in three ODIs in January.
Chandigarh-born USA batsman Jaskaran Malhotra is the fourth batsmen in international cricket to achieve the feat after Herschelle Gibbs, Yuvraj Singh and Kieron Pollard -- against Papua New Guinea.
The United States is likely to host the T20 World Cup in 2024, which could serve as a launch pad in the International Cricket Council's bid for cricket's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
'We believe cricket would be a great addition to the Olympic Games, but we know it won't be easy to secure our inclusion as there are so many other great sports out there wanting to do the same. But we feel now is the time to put our best foot forward and show what a great partnership cricket and the Olympics are.'
New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert will replace injured United States fast bowler Ali Khan, whose maiden stint at the IPL ended without any game time due to a side strain sustained while playing in the Caribbean Premier League.
Cricket's Twenty20 format is tailor-made for Olympics but the sport's administrators will consider any format which would ensure the game's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, USA Cricket chief Paraag Marathe said.
Ali was part of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020-winning team Trinbago Knight Riders.
The US gained one-day international status at the beginning of 2019 and beat Scotland in December. Higgins is eyeing Test status within the next decade.
Major cricket event will return to Pakistan after more than two decades with the country set to host the 2025 Champions Trophy, an ICC flagship tournament.
Praveen Amre has thrown his hat in the ring for the position of India's batting coach.
USA have played three ODIs, including two at the 2004 Champions Trophy, and lost all of them.
Powell feels that hitting sixes for fun is the new normal.
India could lose out on hosting the 2021 Champions Trophy if the government doesn't allow tax exemption on the event.
The land of baseball and basketball would soon get a taste of Twenty20 cricket with the USA Premier League taking a concrete shape towards reality.
Cricket will be part of the 2024 Olympics if Rome wins the bid to host the mega event, Italian cricket board chief Simone Gambino has said.
West Indies and Bangladesh will play two Twenty20 matches in Florida in August, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced on Tuesday.
The ICC Board, at its first meeting of 2016 in Dubai on Wednesday, considered amendments made to the ICC's constitution in 2014 and agreed that, in order to avoid any potential conflicts of interest and follow best practice principles of good governance, it will seek to re-establish as quickly as possible the 'independent' position of ICC chairman.
The ICC Board accepted the resignation of former president Mustafa Kamal, effective from April 2, and confirmed that no replacement would be appointed for the remaining weeks of his term.
In an effort to bring all Test nations on board, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has sought the services of a leading technology institute -- the MIT -- to 'achieve' a uniform Decision Review System (DRS), an innovation which India has been opposing for long.
'This is a landmark moment for Lord's, with women's cricket now documented in the dressing rooms for the first time.'
The International Cricket Council on Tuesday announced it has doubled the prize money of the top-ranked Test team to US $1 million from its existing $500,000 from April 1, next year and also increase investment in women's cricket by five-fold.
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