San Francisco (California), Nov 16 (IANS): Major League Cricket (MLC) on Wednesday announced the dates for its inaugural season in the summer of 2023, a competition that will bring many of the world's leading cricketers to the United States for the first time.
A special ceremony at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas began the countdown to historic season. The league's opening match will take place on July 13, 2023, at the newly-constructed Major League Cricket venue, Grand Prairie Stadium.
The 2023 season will feature 19 matches to be played over 18 days, building up to the first-ever MLC championship final to take place on July 30, 2023.
Six teams from major metropolitan areas -- representing Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Seattle and New York City -- will each boast multiple global stars on their rosters alongside the best talent based in the United States, playing the T20 format of the game.
"Next summer, the eyes of world cricket will be on the launch of Major League Cricket, with the stars of the game competing over three weeks of fast-paced T20 action," said Justin Geale, MLC tournament director.
"The launch of MLC will transform American cricket and provide one of the best platforms in the sport for the world's most elite players to showcase their skills while also fast-tracking the development of domestic talent to feature in the league."
A ceremony at Grand Prairie Stadium marked the installation of the 7,200-capacity venue's playing pitch, with construction set to be complete in spring 2023. Grand Prairie Stadium, located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, will be the competition's primary venue for the 2023 season and home venue for Dallas' MLC team.
MLC's investor group, featuring some of America's top business leaders, includes Dallas-based investors Ross Perot Jr. and Anurag Jain.
Grand Prairie Stadium, the former home of the Texas AirHogs, is being converted to a cricket-specific facility at a cost of USD20 million with an addition of seats around the oval increasing permanent capacity to over 7,000.
Major League Cricket will be the first professional T20 cricket championship in the United States, sanctioned by USA Cricket.