Major League Cricket 2023: Inaugural season to kick start on July 13; full schedule announced

MLC 2023 (Source: Twitter)

The schedule of the inaugural season of Major League Cricket (MLC 2023) has been announced and will kick off on July 13 at the newly made Grand Prairie Stadium, near Dallas, TX. Six teams in the United States of America's first professional franchise cricket league are owned by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises and will feature some of the world's top players.

The tournament begins with Texas Super Kings taking on the Los Angeles Knight Riders - teams owned by IPL giants Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. The other teams participating in the MLC 2023 are Seattle Orcas (partly owned by Delhi Capitals), MI New York (owned by Mumbai Indians), Washington Freedom (partnership with New South Wales) and San Francisco Unicorns (partnership with Victoria).

According to an MLC release, 19 matches will be played in cricket-specific venues in North Texas (Grand Prairie Stadium) and Greater Raleigh (Church Street Park). After the first six games, the tournament moves to North Carolina  for its second leg of competition at Church Street Park in Morrisville. The playoffs will be played in Texas.

The last four stages begins on July 27 as the MLC follows an IPL-style playoff format. The top four teams in the points table will advance to the playoffs, which will consist of the Eliminator, the Qualifiers, and the Final. The final is scheduled for July 30.

Check out the Instagram account below for the schedule of MLC 2023:

 

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MLC 2023 avoids clash with other cricket leagues

As mentioned above, the USA franchise league has managed to attract some of the best players from around the world. The likes of Jason Roy, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Finch, Quinton de Kock, Mitchell Marsh, Anrich Nortje and Wanindu Hasaranga have all signed for the tournament's debut season.

The MLC 2023 will end a couple of days before the start of The Hundred to avoid a clash with England's 100-ball tournament and with organizers ensuring the availability of English players. Meanwhile, England Cricket Board's (ECB) competition is likely to clash with Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2023 and the Lankan Premier League (LPL) 2023 as all three leagues are held in the same time frame.