Major League Cricket (MLC) is the United States’ first professional, ICC-sanctioned T20 franchise league, and in just four seasons, it has rewritten the narrative of cricket in North America. Whether you’re catching up on major league cricket 2022/2023 origins or following the 2026 expansion live, here’s a complete journey through MLC’s rise.
How Major League Cricket Started
Long before the first ball was bowled, American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) had been laying the groundwork since 2019. Backed by over $120 million in Series A/A1 funding from investors including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and IPL franchise groups, ACE secured ICC approval on April 13, 2023, making MLC the only ICC-sanctioned domestic T20 league on American soil.
The league launched with six city-based franchises: Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings, and Washington Freedom. Four of the six franchises are connected to IPL ownership groups, as explained in our guide to IPL teams and their MLC counterparts. These connections have created a direct talent and business link between India and the United States. The early planning phase, often referenced as the major league cricket 2022 development period, also established Minor League Cricket (MiLC), a 26-team developmental league forming the base of a genuine domestic cricket pyramid.
MLC 2023 Season: History Made in Texas
The inaugural season ran from July 13–30, 2023, hosted across Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and Church Street Park in North Carolina. It was a single round-robin group stage followed by playoffs, six franchises, 15 league matches, and cricket finally arriving on a world-class stage in the US.
MI New York became the inaugural MLC champions, defeating the Seattle Orcas by seven wickets in the final. The hero was captain Nicholas Pooran, one of the best batters in Major League Cricket history. He walked in at 0/1 and chased down the 183-run target with an unbeaten 137 off 55 balls, including 13 sixes and nine fours. . That knock remains the highest individual score in MLC final history.
MLC 2023 Key Stats:
- Highest score: Nicholas Pooran — 137* off 55 balls (MI New York)
- Fastest fifty: Nicholas Pooran — 16 balls
- Most sixes: Nicholas Pooran — 34 in 8 innings
- Most fours: Quinton de Kock (Seattle Orcas) — 26 fours in 7 innings
- Tournament revenue: ~$8 million, surpassing pre-season projections
The major league cricket 2023 season didn’t just deliver on-field drama, it validated the league’s commercial model and drew overwhelmingly positive sentiment about cricket’s future in America.
MLC 2024 Season: Washington Freedom Dominate
In May 2024, the ICC granted MLC official List A status, formally recognising it as a T20 league with records counting as official format statistics, a landmark moment for the league’s credibility. Cognizant was also named title sponsor from this season onward.
Washington Freedom emerged as the dominant side, topping the league stage with five wins in seven matches. In the final at Grand Prairie Stadium on July 28, captain Steve Smith smashed 88 off 52 balls while Glenn Maxwell added 40 off 22, powering Freedom to 207/5. The San Francisco Unicorns were bowled out for just 111, with Marco Jansen (3/28) and Rachin Ravindra (3/23) sharing the key wickets.The 96-run margin remains the largest winning margin in any MLC final to date.
MLC 2024 Key Stats:
- Most wickets: Saurabh Netravalkar (Washington Freedom) — 15 wickets in 7 innings
- Best economy rate: Rashid Khan (MI New York) — 6.15
- Highest strike rate (min. 100 runs): Finn Allen (SF Unicorns) — 187.73
- Best bowling figures: Rachin Ravindra — 4/11 in 2.5 overs
MLC 2025 Season: MI New York’s Comeback Title
As covered in our complete MLC 2025 season review, Season 3 became one of the most dramatic campaigns in league history. MI New York lost six of their first seven matches but still recovered to win the title. After clawing to fourth place in the league stage, they eliminated San Francisco Unicorns and Texas Super Kings before defeating Washington Freedom in a last-ball thriller, winning by just 5 runs in the final.
Mitchell Owen took home Player of the Series, while Rushil Ugarkar earned Player of the Match in the final. It was also MLC’s biggest commercial season yet:
- Ticket sales up 53% year-on-year, with a third consecutive sold-out final
- Broadcast reach expanded to 90+ countries, reaching 54 million homes globally
- 400 million+ social media impressions and a 45% growth in social followers
- 84% of ticket purchasers were first-time MLC attendees
Across three seasons, Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings) leads all-time run scorers with 934 runs from 2023–2025.
MLC 2026: Season 4 and the Expansion Era
The fourth edition of Cognizant Major League Cricket runs from June 18 to July 18, 2026, featuring 34 matches (30 league + 4 playoffs) across three venues: Grand Prairie Stadium, Oakland Coliseum (hosting the championship final for the first time), and the newly constructed Knight Riders Cricket Field at Fairplex in Pomona, California.
The 2026 season introduces several major storylines. Ravichandran Ashwin is the biggest name among the Indian players in MLC 2026 after joining the San Francisco Unicorns and becoming the first India-capped player to compete in the league.Washington Freedom continue under the coaching of Ricky Ponting and the captaincy of Glenn Maxwell/Steve Smith, while MLC plans to expand from 6 to 8 teams by 2027, with Canada discussions underway.
ACE has invested over $150 million so far, with more investment planned for the coming years. This long-term development is an important part of how Major League Cricket is growing cricket in the USA ahead of cricket’s appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
AllCric: Your Edge in MLC Fantasy Cricket
Fantasy cricket in MLC is growing as fast as the league itself. AllCric is a dedicated match prediction app built specifically for cricket fantasy players. It delivers detailed pre-match analysis, head-to-head breakdowns, pitch and weather reports, player form trackers, and curated fantasy team suggestions, everything you need to set a winning XI before toss. Whether you’re targeting the right differential captaincy pick in a PowerPlay-heavy fixture or assessing a death-over specialist’s form at a new venue, AllCric gives you the data-backed insights that move the needle on your fantasy leaderboard.
Conclusion
From the major league cricket 2022 planning period to a full-blown global T20 property in 2026, MLC’s rise has been one of sport’s most compelling stories. MI New York holds two titles (2023 & 2025), Washington Freedom one (2024). Season 3 broke every commercial record. Season 4 adds new venues, India’s Ashwin, and 8-team expansion on the horizon. American cricket isn’t coming, it’s already here.