According to various reports, teams owners from the Indian Premier League (IPL) are ready to expand into the Major League Cricket, following Shah Rrukh Khan owned Knight Riders Group KRG making major investments in the league
Several IPL franchises from India are reportedly eager to buy Major League Cricket (MLC) teams set to begin next year.
Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023 teams owners list and schedule
🚨🇺🇸UPDATE: @MLCricket and the Knight Riders Group are joining hands to build a world class cricket venue in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area in #USA. More details inside: https://t.co/PenIvm1Udl#BuildAmericanCricket #MLC #Cricket pic.twitter.com/oHAFP0GJ73
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 29, 2022
IPL Team owners are interested in Major League Cricket 🇺🇸🏏
New T20 League of USA starting in 2023 pic.twitter.com/UtiQ4O1KAj— CricketGully (@thecricketgully) November 17, 2022
Shahrukh Khan’s Knight Riders Group (KRG) are currently heavily invested in the league itself and its development besides owning a franchise.
The Major League Cricket MLC
The Major League Cricket is set to feature the world’s top cricketers to the United States for the first time. MLC will have its historic opening match on July 13, 2023, at the newly-constructed Grand Prairie Stadium, in Grand Prairie, Texas.
The inaugural 2023 season will feature 19 matches played across 18 days. Following the league stages, the first-ever MLC championship final will take place on July 30, 2023. Six franchises from major metropolitan areas are set to compete this time. The six franchises represent the cities of Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Seattle and New York City.
Each of the franchises will feature multiple global stars on their rosters alongside with best talents in the United States. The league will be played out in the Twenty20 (T20) format.
The ownership structure of these franchises is yet to be finalized but it is learnt that there is significant interest from several IPL franchises to acquire the rights of these franchises, as per Cricbuzz. The franchise owners’ announcement is expected in early 2023 followed by the players draft in March.
The six franchise teams will represent the metropolitans of New York, Washington DC, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle however, the ownership structure of these franchises is yet to be finalized.
Major League Cricket Venue
The Grand Prairie Stadium, which is the former home of the Texas AirHogs, will be the Major League Cricket venue. The stadium is currently being converted into a cricket-specific facility for $20 million. It will feature a permanent seating capacity of 7,200 with new seats to be added.
Specifically, the venue will feature 1,000 club and premium seats. These seats will have the ability to be expanded to into over 15,000 during major events. Moreover, United States and the West Indies are expected to co-host matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024. As such, the MLC is a big step towards that goal.
The Knight Riders Group (KRG) and the USA Major League Cricket (MLC)
The Knight Riders Group (KRG) owned by Shah Rukh Khan, is a founding investor of the MLC. The group is currently working closely with the MLC on various aspects related to the league-launch.
KRG are also the owners of the following franchises across different leagues:
- Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL)
- Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
- Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) in the UAE’s International League T20 (I League T20)
KRG will now own the Los Angeles Knight Riders in the upcoming Major League Cricket.
Besides owning a franchise, the KRG are also in partnership with the Major League Cricket (MLC). The MLC earlier announced the approval of an exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA) with KRG and the City of Irvine, to move forward with the lease negotiations and design approvals for a world class cricket venue on a 15-acre parcel at the Great Park.
This development would be a multi-million dollar investment with the design from internationally renowned architects, HKS. Once completed, it will serve will as the iconic home for the sport in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area.