Major League Cricket
American Cricket Enterprises[1] doing business as Major League Cricket or MLC has been selected by USA Cricket,[2] the governing body for the sport of cricket in the United States as its strategic partner for the development of a world class professional T20 cricket[3] league.
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Sport | Cricket |
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Founded | 2019 |
Country | ![]() |
Official website | majorleaguecricket |
MLC is developing the required cricketing infrastructure including international quality stadiums, elite youth academies and high grade training facilities.[4] In parallel, MLC is also establishing high performance pathways to create a deep talent pool of players to feed Minor League Cricket and Major League Cricket. MLC will also provide support for both the USA National Men's and Women's teams with the goal of elevating the teams to the highest levels of international competition.
The founders of Major League Cricket have been deeply involved with cricket in the US, particularly with the establishment of the US as a major broadcast market for cricket.
Major League Cricket
Major League Cricket is exclusively sanctioned by USA Cricket and is the first professional Twenty20 cricket league in the US. It will focus on staging the highest quality Twenty20 cricket for US cricket fans featuring top international players from the US and around the world. This will provide professional pathways to elite US-based domestic players, competing alongside top international players and help them gain valuable experience. All games will be broadcast throughout the US on Willow TV, and carried internationally by leading platforms.
MLC plans to invite international players to participate in the Major League Cricket and also play in the Minor League Cricket starting in July 2020.
Minor League Cricket
Minor League Cricket is a USA Cricket Board sanctioned, national Twenty20 tournament with an aim to promote the sport and grow the fan base within the US. Minor League Cricket will feature 22 city/region based teams across the US. The teams will have both US-based and international players and elite Under-21 talent. Minor League Cricket is intended to provide a platform for cricket players to showcase their skills on a national stage, and provide them with pathways to potential professional opportunities such as Major League Cricket.
The inaugural regular season of Minor League Cricket wias scheduled to commence on July 11, 2020, and run for 8 weeks, with each team playing 15 games for a total of 170 games, culminating in a one-week playoff to determine the Minor League Cricket champion. However, due to the Coronavirus pandemic the start of the first season has been delayed. The season is currently set to begin in Spring of 2021.[5].
Founders
MLC is co-founded by the founders of Willow TV, the largest cricket broadcaster in North America and the principals of The Times of India Group,[6] India's largest media conglomerate. MLC is also backed by a prominent and diverse group of investors[7] from across the United States.
Academies
MLC is developing cricket academies across the United States to develop young talent. MLC will provide high calibre coaches to impart technical knowledge to students to help develop their cricketing skills. The academies will have access to outdoor ground with natural turf wickets, indoor training facility with batting lanes and other training equipment to provide best-in-class infrastructure to students. Each academy will have teams under various age brackets which will participate in the local competitions.
Youth tournaments
MLC is conducting national level youth tournaments for U11, U13, U15, U17, and U19 age categories. This will provide competitive match opportunities that will develop the overall cricketing ability of the players.
See also
References
- "American Cricket Enterprises".
- "usa cricket board meeting".
- "us based professional t20 cricket league".
- "Willow Cricket Academy".
- "Minor League Cricket Draft Announcement and Latest Update on Plans dor 2020". USA Cricket.
- "US T20 league to be launched in partnership with the Times Group".
- "American Cricket will kick start a professional US T20 league".