SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Major League Cricket (MLC) announced today the schedule for America’s first-ever professional franchise cricket league, set to launch on Thursday, July 13, 2023. Two cricket-specific venues in North Texas and Greater Raleigh will host 19 matches. Many of the world’s top cricketers will represent six MLC teams competing to be crowned as the inaugural season champion on Sunday, July 30.
The first-ever MLC match will start at 7:30 p.m. CST on Thursday, July 13, under the lights at America’s new premier cricket venue, the 7,200 capacity Grand Prairie Stadium, near Dallas, TX. The home state Texas Super Kings will face off against the Los Angeles Knight Riders, with both teams set to bring superstar players who have featured for the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
MLC then moves to North Carolina for its second week of competition at Church Street Park in Morrisville. On Thursday, July 20, a 5:30 p.m. EST start will see the Freedom against the Knight Riders at the scenic venue currently undergoing upgrades to expand and enhance the facility. A further six matches will follow from Friday through Tuesday to determine which four teams advance to finals weekend, with two teams set to be eliminated.
The first-ever MLC Championship Finals will bring a set of thrilling playoff encounters to Grand Prairie Stadium. The “Eliminator” match will see the third and fourth seeds face off on Thursday, July 27 starting at 3:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to the “Challenger” match and the loser eliminated. In the evening, the top two seeds will compete with the winner of this “Qualifier” match advancing directly to the championship final.
Friday evening on July 28 sees the “Challenger” match take place, with the winner of the “Eliminator” game taking on the loser of the “Qualifier” match to determine who will move on to the Championship Final on Sunday, July 30. The final match, crowning the inaugural Major League Cricket champion, is set to start at 7:30 p.m. CST at Grand Prairie Stadium. International and domestic broadcast details for the historic competition will be announced soon.