What are the names of Major League Cricket teams? Who are the owners of MLC teams in the USA? Which IPL teams are the Major League Cricket teams affiliated with?
We will answer all of these burning questions for you today.
Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings, and Washington Freedom are the six teams that will compete in the three-week Major League Cricket (MLC) T20 tournament to be held in Dallas, Texas, USA in July 2023.
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Key Takeaways
The average age of Major League Cricket players is 29.
From the 54 domestic players in the MLC draft, 19 players were from Indian origin (2 born in USA, 17 born in India), 12 are from South Africa, 11 from Pakistan, 3 Australia, 3 Sri Lanka, 2 USA, 2 West Indies, 1 New Zealand, 1 England, and 1 UAE.
4 Major League Cricket teams are affiliated with IPL teams (LA Knight Riders, MI New York, Seattle Orcas (with Delhi capitals), and Texas Super Kings.
2 Major League Cricket teams are partnered with Australian domestic sides (San Francisco Unicorns – with Cricket Victoria, Washington DC Freedom – with New South Wales)
List of Major League Cricket Teams
1. Los Angeles Knight Riders
Home Ground: Orange County Stadium (planning stage)
IPL Franchise: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Owners: Knight Riders Group
LA Knight Riders Complete Squad
Unmukt Chand, Ali Sheikh, Nitish Kumar, Corne Dry, Jaskaran Malhotra, Saif Badar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Bhaskar Yadram
LA Knight Riders Overseas Players
Jason Roy (England), Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill (New Zealand), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine (West Indies), Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), Adam Zampa (Australia)
Wildcard: Gajanand Singh
Coaches
Coaches: Phil Simmons (Head Coach), Ryan Ten Doeschate (Assistant Coach), Bharat Arun (Bowling Coach)
Support Staff: Sagar VM (Strength & Conditioning), Prasanth Panchada (Physio), Ruel Rigsby (Physio), AR Srikkanth (Analyst), Wayne Bentley (Team Manager)
2. MI New York
Home Ground: New York Oval – New York, Marine Park – Brooklyn, Spring Creek Park – Queens, Aqueduct Racetrack – Queens (shortlisted – planning stage)
Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran (West Indies), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Tim David, Jason Behrendorff (Australia), Dewald Brevis, Kagiso Rabada (South Africa), David Wiese (Namibia), Trent Boult (New Zealand)
Coaches
Coaches: Robin Peterson (Head Coach), Lasith Malinga (Bowling Coach), James Pamment (Fielding Coach), J Arun Kumar (Batting Coach)
Support Staff: Pratik Kadam (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Amit Shah (Sports Massage Therapist), Murtaza Hussain (Assistant Fielding Coach), Jason Pilgrim (Physiotherapist), Rushi Shahiwala (Assistant Physiotherapist), L Varun (Data Performance Manager)
3. San Francisco Unicorns
Home Ground: Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Stadium – San Jose, California (planning stage)
IPL Franchise: None (affilated with Cricket Victoria, Australia)
Owners: Anand Rajaraman, Venky Harinarayan
SF Unicorns Complete Unicorns Squad
Corey Anderson, Liam Plunkett, Tajinder Singh, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Brody Couch, David White, Smit Patel, Sanjay Krishnmurthi, Carmi Le Roux
Wildcard: Amila Aponso
SF Unicorns Overseas Players
Aaron Finch*, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Mackenzie Harvey (Australia), Lungi Ngidi (South Africa), Qais Ahmad (Afghanistan), Finn Allen (New Zealand), Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan (Pakistan)
Shane Watson (Coach)
*captain
4. Seattle Orcas
Home Ground: Marymoor Park – Redmond, Washington (planning stage)
Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner (New Zealand), Daniel Sams (Australia), Faf du Plessis*, David Miller, Gerald Coetzee (South Africa), Dwayne Bravo (West Indies), Ambati Rayudu (India)
Texas Super Kings Coaches
Coaches: Stephen Fleming (Head Coach), Eric Simons (Assistant Coach), Albie Morkel (Assistant Coach), Russell Radhakrishnan (Team Manager)
Support Staff: Gregory King (Strength & Conditioning), Lakshmi Narayanan (High Performance Analyst), Tommy Simsek (Physiotherapist)
6. Washington (DC) Freedom
Home Ground: George Mason University
IPL Franchise: None (Affiliated with Cricket New South Wales, Australia)
Moises Henriques*, Ben Dwarshuis, Tanveer Sangha (Australia), Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen (South Africa), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), Glenn Phillips, Adam Milne (New Zealand)
*captain
Bowling Coach: Dale Steyn
For other articles for cricket in America and Major League Cricket (MLC), check out the following:
Major League Cricket – MLC 2023 Draft: List of Players (As It Happened)
The nine rounds of draft picks are summarized below. Since most players are from foreign origin or have changed nationalities late in their careers, the country of origin and age is added to the name.
Note, a tenth ‘Wildcard’ pick will be determined from the 2023 Minor League Cricket season.
MLC Draft Round 1 ($75,000)
Player
Franchise
Minor League Team
Country
Age
Harmeet Singh
Seattle Orcas
Seattle Thunderbolts
India
30
Andries Gous
Washington Freedom
Seattle Thunderbolts
South Africa
29
Steven Taylor
MI New York
Atlanta Fire
USA
29
Corey Anderson
San Francisco Unicorns
Irving Mustangs
New Zealand
32
Ali Khan
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Houston Hurricanes
Pakistan
32
Rusty Theron
Texas Super Kings
East Bay Blazers
South Africa
37
MLC Draft Round 2 ($65,000)
Player
Franchise
Minor League Team
Country
Age
Calvin Savage
Texas Super Kings
Chicago Tigers
South Africa
30
Unmukt Chand
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Silicon Valley Strikers
India
29
Liam Plunkett
San Francisco Unicorns
The Philadelphians
England
37
Hammad Azam
MI New York
Golden State Grizzlies
Pakistan
32
Mukhtar Ahmed
Washington Freedom
Atlanta Fire
Pakistan
30
Shehan Jayasuriya
Seattle Orcas
Silicon Valley Strikers
Sri Lanka
31
MLC Draft Round 3 ($50,000)
Player
Franchise
Minor League Team
Country
Age
Shubham Ranjane
Seattle Orcas
Seattle Thunderbolts
India
28
Obus Pienaar
Washington Freedom
Morrisville Raptors
South Africa
33
Ehsan Adil
MI New York
Golden State Grizzlies
Pakistan
30
Tajinder Singh
San Francisco Unicorns
Kingsmen
India
30
Jaskaran Malhotra
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Morrisville Raptors
India
33
Lahiru Milantha
Texas Super Kings
Morrisville Raptors
Sri Lanka
28
MLC Draft Round 4 ($40,000)
Player
Franchise
Minor League Team
Country
Age
Milind Kumar
Texas Super Kings
The Philadelphians
India
32
Nitish Kumar
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Lone Star Athletics
India
28
Chaitanya Bishnoi
San Francisco Unicorns
Kingsmen
India
28
Nosthush Kenjige
MI New York
Irving Mustangs
India (born in USA, family from India)
32
Saurabh Netravalkar
Washington Freedom
Silicon Valley Strikers
India
31
Cameron Gannon
Seattle Orcas
–
Australia
34
MLC Draft Round 5 ($35,000)
Player
Franchise
Minor League Team
Country
Age
Aaron Jones
Seattle Orcas
Atlanta Fire
USA
28
Saad Ali
Washington Freedom
Michigan Cricket Stars
Pakistan
29
Monank Patel
MI New York
Empire State Titans
India
29
Carmi Le Roux
San Francisco Unicorns
East Bay Blazers
South Africa
29
Corne Dry
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Atlanta Fire
South Africa
30
Sami Aslam
Texas Super Kings
Golden State Grizzlies
Pakistan
27
MLC Draft Round 6 ($25,000)
Player
Franchise
Minor League Team
Country
Age
Cameron Stevenson
Texas Super Kings
–
Australia
30
Ali Sheikh
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Irving Mustangs
USA (born in Doha)
20
Brody Couch
San Francisco Unicorns
Atlanta Fire
Australia
23
Sarbjeet Singh Ladda
MI New York
DC Hawks
India
36
Dane Piedt
Washington Freedom
Morrisville Raptors
South Africa
33
Nauman Anwar
Seattle Orcas
Michigan Cricket Stars
Pakistan
27
MLC Draft Round 7 ($15,000)
Player
Franchise
Minor League Team
Country
Age
Phani Simhadri
Seattle Orcas
Seattle Thunderbolts
India
31
Sujith Gowda
Washington Freedom
Irving Mustangs
India
26
Shayan Jahangir
MI New York
Lone Star Athletics
Pakistan
31
David White
San Francisco Unicorns
East Bay Blazers
South Africa
31
Saif Badar
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Atlanta Fire
Pakistan
24
Cody Chetty
Texas Super Kings
Hollywood Master Blasters
South Africa
31
MLC Draft Round 8 ($10,000)
Player
Franchise
Minor League Team
Country
Age
Zia Shahzad
Texas Super Kings
Atlanta Fire
Pakistan
26
Shadley Van Schalkwyk
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Seattle Thunderbolts
South Africa
34
Smit Patel
San Francisco Unicorns
Manhattan Yorkers
India
29
Usman Rafiq*
MI New York
Houston Hurricanes
Pakistan
34
Kyle Phillip
MI New York
Atlanta Lightning
West Indies (Trinidad)
26
Justin Dill
Washington Freedom
St. Louis Americans
South Africa
28
Angelo Perera
Seattle Orcas
East Bay Blazers
Sri Lanka
33
*Usman Rafiq no longer shows up on MLC website but Kyle Phillip does (maybe Phillip is a replacement for Rafiq).
MLC Draft Round 9 ($2,500)
Player
Franchise
Minor League Team
Country
Age
Matthew Tromp
Seattle Orcas
Houston Hurricanes
South Africa
18
Akhilesh Bodugum
Washington Freedom
Atlanta Fire
India
22
Saideep Ganesh
MI New York
Golden State Grizzlies
India
22
Sanjay Krishnamurthi
San Francisco Unicorns
East Bay Blazers
India
19
Bhaskar Yadram
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Manhattan Yorkers
West Indies (Guyana)
23
Saiteja Mukkamalla
Texas Super Kings
New Jersey Stallions
USA (Indian origin)
18
Frequently Asked Questions – Major League Cricket Teams
How many teams will play in Major League Cricket 2023?
Six teams will play in Major League Cricket 2023 – Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings, and Washington (DC) Freedom.
Where will Major League Cricket 2023 be held?
Major League Cricket 2023 will be held in Grand Prairie, Texas (near Dallas).
When will Major League Cricket 2023 be held?
Major League Cricket 2023 will be held between July 13-July 30th.
With the Major League Cricket beginning this year, we look at all the cricketers who left their countries and moved to play cricket in the USA.
The United States of America is becoming an increasingly popular destination for cricketers looking to pursue a career in the sport. Over the years, many international players from around the world have left their home countries and moved to the US in search of greater opportunities. From West Indies to South Africa, here are 53 cricketers who have left their countries and moved to play cricket in the USA.
Key Takeaways
At least 85 cricketers have left their home countries to pursue cricket in the USA.
This includes 16 West Indian cricketers, 19 South Africans, 22 Indians, 4 Sri Lankan, 4 Australian, 11 Pakistani, 2 from New Zealand, 2 from Nepal, and 5 from other nations (England, UAE, Canada, Afghanistan, Bangladesh)
11 of these players have played international cricket, at least 11-15 others have played at an U-19 level in their home countries, and a few others (Sunny Sohal, Siddharth Trivedi, Bipul Sharma, etc.) have even been picked up deals in the IPL.
Other current WI international players like Rakheem Cornwall & Chandrapaul Hemraj are not officially included in this list. However, a few such WI players play in Minor League Cricket (MiLC) and other local American clubs for extra practice in their off-season.
Credit: This list is largely inspired from the updated reports and tweets of American cricket journalist, Peter Della Penna. For example, see this tweet.
Which Cricketers Changed Their Nationality to play for the USA?
From the 2012 U-19 winning captain, Unmukt Chand to the 2019 Cricket World Cup winner, Liam Plunkett, here is the list of Top 24 players who left their countries to play cricket in the USA (extended list of 56 players and honorable mentions below)
*Note: Not all of these players are eligible to play for the USA national team at the moment. The residency process will take 3-4 years. Until that is achieved, the players will live here and play in the Minor/Major League Cricket.
1. Xavier Marshall (West Indies, 2005-2018)
Teams: Jamaica, West Indies, West Indies U-19s
Age When Left Home Country: 32
Current Age: 36
Minor League Team: New Jersey Somerset Cavaliers
Claim to Fame:Broke Shahid Afridi’s record with 12 sixes in an innings when he scored 157*(118) vs Canada in 2008. West Indies Youth Cricketer of the Year (2005), played 7 Tests and numerous limited overs game for the West Indies
Teams: Pakistan, Pakistan U-19s, Balochistan, Sindh, Lahore Eagles, National Bank of Pakistan
Age When Left Home Country: 25
Current Age: 27
Claim to Fame: Played in 2012 & 2014 U-19 WCs, captaining Pakistan to the final in the latter. 2nd Highest U-19 ODI run-scorer. Promising start to Test career with 7 fifties and best of 91.
Teams: New Zealand, New Zealand U-19, New Zealand A, Auckland, Canterbury, Northern Districts, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Somerset, Lahore Qalandars, Barbados Tridents
Teams: Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka U-19s, Sri Lanka U-23s, Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, Police Sports Club, Chittagong Kings, Galle Gladiators
Age When Left Home Country: 29
Current Age: 31
Claim to Fame:Scored 96 in an ODI vs Pakistan in a rearguard effort to bring SL from 28/5 to 205/6. SL still lost the game, but good innings nevertheless.
Minor League Team: Silicon Valley Strikers
Role: Allrounder (Left-handed batter, Right arm off break)
Teams: West Indies, West Indies U-19s, West Indies A, Guyana, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs
Age When Left Home Country: 32
Current Age: 37
Claim To Fame: Leading scorer in the 2008-09 domestic tournament. Took Sachin Tendulkar’s final Test wicket. Played 18 Tests, 31 ODIs, and 8 T20Is for the West Indies.
Minor League Team: Silicon Valley Strikers
Role: Allrounder (Left Hand Bat, Right Arm off break)
Claim to Fame: 2019 Cricket World Cup winner (3 wickets in the final including Kane Williamson), key to England’s limited overs revival. 2008-09 County Champions with Durham. Played 13 Tests, 89 ODI, and 22 T20Is for England
Minor League Team: The Philadelphians (Player/Coach)
Role: Right Arm Fast Bowler (and lower order hitter)
Note, Plunkett traveled to the USA and has played club cricket in the USA earlier even when he was representing England since his wife is from the United States.
Teams: South Africa, South Africa A, Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab, Eastern Province, Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs
Age When Left Home Country: 31
Current Age: 37
Claim to Fame: MTN Domestic Championship Cricketer of the Year (2008), Player of the Match for Kings XI Punjab in an IPL 2010 match. He was selected for the 2010 T20 World Cup
Teams: India U-19s, India U-23s, India Blue, Indian Board President’s XI, Baroda, Gujarat, Tripura, Goa, Barbados Royals
Age When Left Home Country: 28
Current Age: 29
Claim to Fame: 2012 U-19 WC Final star, forming a 130-run partnership with Unmukt Chand and himself scoring 62*(84). Scored a total of 11 first-class centuries.
Minor League Team: Manhattan Yorkers
Role: Wicketkeeper, Right Hand Batter
*Note, Patel is a green card holder and has been in the USA on and off since 2010, when his family moved to Pennsylvania.
Teams: India U-19s, India A, Punjab, Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Barbados Tridents, Winnipeg Hawks
Age When Left Home Country: 27
Current Age: 36
Claim to Fame: Highest run-scorer for Punjab in the 2008-09 Ranji Season, player of the Match in an IPL match, India U-19 player in 2007-08 alongside Virat Kohli, Piyush Chawla, Ravindra Jadeja, etc.
Teams: Western Australia, Queensland, Brisbane Heat, Melbourne Renegades
Age When Left Home Country: 30
Current Age: 34
Claim to Fame: Took 31 wickets in the 2012-13 Sheffeld Shield season
Role: Right Arm Fast Bowler
*still has a contract with Western Australia. He played a few T20Is for the USA in 2019 but returned to Australia domestic cricket. He has since been recalled in USA training camps.
West Indies International Players who Play in the MiLC
Although Chandrapaul Hemraj (New Jersey Somerset Cavaliers) played in Minor League Cricket (and hit lots of sixes), he still eyes a West Indies recall and is using MiLC as off-season practice
Similarly, Rakheem Cornwall plays for the Atlanta Fire
Hayden Walsh Jr. was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and played for the US national team between 2018-19. However, he switched his cricket allegiance to the West Indies after 2019.
Now 40, Fidel Edwards plays for the Silicon Valley Strikers after a long (on & off) West Indies international & illustrious County career.
Final Thoughts – Why Are Cricketers Leaving Their Countries to Play Cricket in the USA?
Competition and financial security are two of the biggest reasons why cricketers are choosing to leave their home countries to play cricket in the USA.
Several of these cricketers played up till the U-19 and domestic levels. However, they could not make the cut to the international level. This has an impact on both personal desires and direct monetary value. Since USA cricket has been offering decent contracts to cricketers, and national boards of West Indies, South Africa, and New Zealand continue to struggle, we may continue to see the exodus of cricketers from those nations.
Will this help USA cricket qualify for world tournaments and establish Major League Cricket in this crowded T20 calendar?
How many cricketers left their countries to play cricket in the USA?
At least 85cricketers have left their home countries to pursue in the USA, including 11 former international cricketers. This includes 14 West Indian cricketers, 12 South Africans, 11 Indians, 3 Sri Lankans, 3 Australians, 2 Pakistanis, 2 from New Zealand, and 6 from other nations (England, UAE, Canda, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh).
Which Pakistani cricketer moved to the USA?
Sami Aslam and Shayan Jahangir are the Pakistani cricketers who moved to the USA.
Which Indian cricketers moved to the USA?
Unmukt Chand, Smit Patel, Sunny Sohal, Siddharth Trivedi, Harmeet Singh, and Bipul Sharma are six of the most prominent Indian cricketers who moved to the USA.
Which cricket players changed their nationalities?
Xavier Marshall, Gajanand Singh, Timil Patel, and a few other cricketers have changed their nationalities to play cricket in the USA. Others like Eoin Morgan, Ed Joyce, Boyd Rankin (Ireland to England) and Kepler Wessels (South Africa to Australia) are other examples of cricketers changing their nationalities and playing for two nations.