Explained: All You Need To Know About USA's MLC, and Its Implications on Cricket

All six MLC teams boast of renowned T20 superstars, with the rules allowing six foreigners in playing XI.

All you need to know about the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023

(Photo: BCCI/Altered by The Quint)

Even before its inauguration, the Major League Cricket (MLC) has already sparked a ripple effect in international cricket. It happens to be a T20I cricket league that will be played in the United States of America from 13 July. A total of 6 teams will be playing in the league that has been sanctioned by USA Cricket and will be operated by American Cricket Enterprise.

Matches will be held in Texas’ Prairie Grand Stadium and North Carolina’s Church Street Park. With the inaugural champions to be crowned on 13 July, MLC is seen as a great attempt to increase the popularity of cricket in America, where the sport has perhaps not made significant inroads yet.

Here's all you need to know about the MLC:

How Many IPL Franchises Have Teams in MLC?

Many IPL teams are actively trying to broaden their horizons, with sister franchises in overseas leagues. Following the trend seen in the Caribbean Premier League, SA20 and also the International League T20, MLC is also set to be an IPL-dominated event, in terms of the franchise spread.

Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals (only GMR group) and Kolkata Knight Riders have all purchased teams in the MLC. Texas Super Kings will be seen representing IPL’s MS Dhoni-led five-time winners, Chennai, with another five-time champion, Mumbai Indians buying the New York franchise.

The City of Angels, Los Angeles, will be represented by Shah Rukh Khan’s Knight Riders franchise, while GMR Sports, who are co-owners of Delhi Capitals, have also acquired shares in their third international cricket team with Seattle Oscars.

Are the T20 Stars Playing in MLC?

Many renowned international players will be making appearances in MLC 2023, which promises to be an enthralling competition, according to the teams’ rosters. T20I cricket’s biggest superstars in Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Andre Russell, Quinton De Kock, Mitchell Marsh, Anrich Nortje, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Wanindu Hasaranga will be seen in action.

While de Kock and Marsh will be seen in action for Seattle Orcas, Anrich Nortje and Wanindu Hasaranga will ply their trades for Washington Freedom. The Caribbean pair of Russell and Narine will represent the Los Angeles Knight Riders.

Will Indian Players Also Play in The MLC?

Indian players will be seen participating in MLC 2023, albeit only those who have retired from the Indian domestic circuit.

The ICC U19 World Cup-winning skipper Unmukt Chand will be playing for Los Angeles Knight Riders, while former IPL players like Harmeet Singh (Seattle Orcas), Tajinder Singh (San Francisco Unicorns), and Sarabjeet Ladda (MI New York) will also be featuring.

The biggest highlight, however, will be Ambati Rayudu. Having recently won the IPL with Chennai Super Kings, the veteran batter will be representing Texas Super Kings.

What Are the Dates and Format Of MLC?

MLC will be held from 13 July to 30 July. The league will be held in two legs, with the first one, containing 8 league matches, to be held in Texas’ Grand Prairie Stadium, and the second one to take place at North Carolina’s Church Street Park.

The competition will be held in a format similar to IPL, wherein the six teams will first play each other in a round-robin format, albeit only once.

The teams that will occupy the top four positions after the league stage will qualify for playoffs, which will comprise four matches: Qualifier, Eliminator, Challenger and Final.

How Much Will the Players Earn In MLC?

Salary caps for players picked in each round were fixed during the MLC draft. The players drafted in the first round have been acquired for $75,000, while the amount spent for the players drafted in the second, third and fourth rounds are $65,000, $50,000 and $40.000 respectively. The fifth, sixth and seventh and eighth rounds had a fixed salary cap of $35,000, $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000 respectively. The players bought during the ninth round, which was also the last round of the draft, were acquired for $2,500.

Although, it must be noted that the salaries of overseas stars have not been disclosed publicly. Each team has a budget of $1.15 million, of which $320,000 were spent on American players. Franchises are allocated $830,000 for nine overseas players, with the average coming to approximately $98,889.

What Are the Implications of MLC on International Cricket?

English opener Jason Roy, who also plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL, recently decided to terminate his incremental contract with the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), in favour of a deal with the Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC. This move has the potential to trigger a butterfly effect in international cricket, with many fearing players might choose franchise deals over national contracts, with many IPL franchises like the Knight Riders having teams across the globe, playing in multiple competitions.

ICC is also planning on imposing a new rule to restrict the participation of overseas cricketers. According to ESPNCricinfo, the new rule might make it mandatory for franchises to field a maximum of only four overseas players in the playing XI, which could have a dampening effect on MLC’s hype, considering the current laws allow each team to have six overseas stars in the playing XI.