American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) has announced the dates for the inaugural season of Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States of America. The tournament, which will reportedly feature six franchises, will take place from July 12 to July 22, 2023.The ACE secured the rights to own and operate a franchise T20 league in the United States in 2019. The tournament, which has been years in the making, is slated to feature 19 matches in a round-robin format, culminating with a knockout stage.The six franchise teams will represent the metropolitans of New York, Washington DC, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Earlier in May, ACE confirmed pledging of $120m towards the start up from some high profile business tycoons, a list headlined by Seattle based Microsoft CE0 Satya Nadella. 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. The franchise owners' announcement is expected in early 2023 followed by the players draft in March.
"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, who has also served as a Director of Cricket Operations at the IPL. "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."According to a report from Cricbuzz, the USA's premier cricketing competition is expecting a plethora of talent for its inaugural season. Cricketers from West Indies, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa are likely to put their names forward for the tournament since they are relatively free of white-ball commitments during July 2023, according to the Future Tours Programme (FTP).
