Written by Kevin Philip
The past decade has marked a period of success for the United States in a sport not yet embraced by the majority of the American public. The 2024 International Cricket Council’s T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the West Indies and USA, brought the pinnacle of that success to the public eye for the first time as the inexperienced American team upset veterans Pakistan in a close encounter at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. This unprecedented success has attracted many to American cricket’s newest venture: Major League Cricket (MLC).
Inaugural Season
The first edition of MLC was held from July 13, 2023 to July 30, 2023. Though the season lasted only two weeks, it saw 19 action packed games culminating with a once-in-a-lifetime innings from Nicholas Pooran in the final, which saw MI New York be crowned inaugural champions of the newly-found league. This season, primarily serving as a test for future development, saw 75,000 fans pouring into the two relatively small venues designated for this edition. Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina (3,000 person max capacity) saw all 7 games sell out, while Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas (7,200 person max capacity) hosted 14 games which saw an 80% attendance rate. Passionate fans inspired by the opportunity to finally see their international superstars in action, endured the sweltering Dallas and Morrisville heat highlighting the true demand of a hidden market in the States. With an expected revenue of $5 million from its first season, investors and owners were shocked to see the true revenue exceed $8 million in such a short time.
“The tournament had revenues of around $8 million… Was more than we anticipated, we thought it would be lucky to make $5 million in the first season.” – Anand Rajaraman, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and investor in MLC
Media Distribution
The tournament was broadcasted to 87 countries globally. More importantly, local broadcasters such as CBS Sports Network streamed the games marking an impressive moment for American cricket as it finally broke onto national television in the states. In addition to this, international supergiants such as FOX, Amazon Prime, Supersport, and more broadcasted the American event to cricketing supergiants such as Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. In just 3 weeks, MLC saw almost 110 million interactions across all social media platforms. The league received 15 million views on match highlights through their Youtube Channel and 40 million views across all other platforms, while their official Instagram reached 100k followers in days. More than 9 million comments were received across all social media platforms displaying the wide reach the league had around the world in just a few weeks.
Investors and Partners
Companies and successful businessmen have flocked to the opportunity to be a part of MLC’s growing sensation.
Some notable businessmen include:
- Satya Nadella (Microsoft Chairman)
- Shantanu Narayen (Adobe Chairman)
- Ross Preot Jr. (Hillwood Founder)
- Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm Founder)
- Anand Rajaraman (Rocketship Venture Capital Founder)
- Venky Harinarayan (Rocketship Venture Capital Founder)
Some notable businesses include:
- Cognizant (Title Partner)
- Lexus (Automotive Partner)
- Remitly (Signature Partner)
- Stake (Official Partner)
- Willow TV (Official Partner)
- Betway (Signature Partner)
Development
With the first two editions of the league only played in two stadiums, the league has plans with teams to incorporate a home stadium for each franchise in the tournament to truly make it a national league. Within the next 5 years, every team will have a home stadium with construction for some starting even now.
Planned stadiums in the next 5 years:
- Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas (Already built, Texas Superkings)
- Church Street Park, Morrisville (Already built, neutral venue)
- Marine Park Cricket Stadium, New York (To be built, MI New York)
- Santa Clara Fairgrounds Stadium, Santa Clara (To be built, San Francisco Unicorns)
- Great Park Cricket Stadium, Irvine (To be built, LA Knight Riders)
- Marymoor Community Cricket Park, Redmond (To be built, Seattle Orcas)
There are plans to extend the season’s length. While the first season only lasted two weeks, the second season lasted almost a month. Higher level players have turned up to the league in the second season, displaying the attention it has reached globally. With teams signing these high-profile players on multiple year contracts, the league is sure to only grow from the continued addition of them. Along with the addition of these players, comes their desire to be a part of the American Sports market.
“I’m excited for the growth of cricket into the American sports market.” – Pat Cummins, Australia’s Captain, Signed 4-year deal with San Francisco Unicorns
Cricket has been the one global sport which has yet to break into the famed American sports market. With players’ desire to be a part of this cash rich system, and fans’ desire to see cricket in America, time will only tell whether the American sports market will ever see the full potential of cricket in this country. Regardless, one thing is for sure: it’s certainly on the rise in America.
photo: Instagram
