By USA’s flagship T20 tournament, Major League Cricket (MLC), is looking to expand to 10 teams. The MLC has announced plans to expand to an 8-team tournament within two seasons, with the eventual goal of reaching 10 teams. The first season featured 6 teams playing in a single round-robin format, totaling 19 games over a 3-week period.
The second season is set to increase the number of games by 6, and the league is expected to continue growing with a home-and-away format in the future. In a 10-team league, the number of games could rise to close to 100.
The ICC has given a significant boost to the MLC by granting it List A status, endorsing the quality of cricket in the league. This move is particularly noteworthy, as domestic T20 games in associate nations typically do not have List A status.
- List A Status Secured by MLC, Targets 10-Team Expansion
List A Status Secured by MLC, Targets 10 Team Expansion
Vijay Srinivasan, CEO of MLC, expressed excitement about the league’s future, stating, “We saw cricket mania sweep across the US last year off the back of our inaugural season of Major League Cricket. Now, we take exciting momentum into the highly anticipated ICC T20 World Cup and season two of the MLC.”
The prospect of the MLC becoming a 10-team tournament has raised concerns in English cricket. If the league expands to 10 teams, it may need to carve out a 10-week window in the cricket calendar to accommodate a home-and-away format for all teams. With American and English summers overlapping, the MLC and competitions like the Blast and Hundred could potentially compete for top talent within their respective windows.
The success of the inaugural season of the MLC has attracted sponsorship from industry leaders like Cognizant and Stake. Cognizant, the title sponsor, has reportedly pledged close to $2 million for the upcoming season. Additionally, the USA men’s historic series win over Bangladesh has boosted American cricket, which is experiencing a T20 revolution.
