Major League Cricket (MLC)
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world with 2.5 billion global followers. The sport originated in England, and the history of cricket can be traced back to the late 16th century. Later, the game became popular in the British colonies and other parts of the world, including in the United States. Cricket has been played in the United States for over 300 years. The first reported cricket match in the United States took place in 1751. By the middle of the 1800’s cricket was played in 22 states and in 1833, the first collegiate cricket club was founded in Pennsylvania at Havenford College. Eleven years later, in 1844, a Canadian cricket team came to New York and played against the United States.
With the popularity of cricket gaining traction in the United States, in 1859, English players came to the United States and competed in several games. However, with the onset of the Civil War, the growth of cricket declined. At the same time, there was an uptick in baseball being played at camps during the war. Due to the long length of the game of cricket, which could take several days, baseball started to become more popular since a game could finish in a few hours. While the popularity of cricket did decline, the United States sent a team to England in 1874 and ten years later, the famous Philadelphians cricket club toured England. However, by 1913, the Philadelphians played their last game. Cricket could no longer compete against the rising interest in Major League Baseball (MLB).
In the latter half of the twentieth century, shorter versions of cricket started to become popular globally. By the 1960’s there was a renewed interest in cricket in the United States. In 1965, the United States was admitted as an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), which is the governing body of the cricket matches played internationally. In 1971, the first-ever ICC-recognized One-Day International (ODI), a version that lasts for eight hours or less, match was played. In 1979, the United States Men’s National Cricket Team participated in an ODI ICC tournament. More than thirty years later, in 2011, the United States Women’s National Cricket Team competed in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifier. In the early 21st century, shorter versions and franchise-based cricket gained popularity. Currently, the shortest ICC-mandated version of cricket is known as Twenty20 (or T-20), which typically lasts four hours or less.
For the first time ever, in 2016, the United States hosted official T-20 international cricket matches between India and the West Indies. Additionally, the U.S. National Cricket Team qualified for the 2024 T-20 World Cup. The 2024 T-20 World Cup will take place in June and is organized jointly by the United States and the West Indies. The 2024 T-20 World Cup is scheduled to be played in three venues in the United States: Grand Prairie Stadium (Grand Prairie, TX), Eisenhower Park (East Meadow, NY), and Central Broward Park (Lauderhill, FL) and at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago.
Major League Cricket (MLC). MLC is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in the United States. The inaugural season began in 2023 and includes six teams: the Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings, and the Washington Freedom. In 2023, there were a total of 113 players who played in the league. Nearly half (48%) of players in MLC were foreign-born who hailed from 10 different countries. In 2024, the percentage of foreign-born players in MLC increased to 49% and athletes represented 13 countries from around the globe. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of foreign-born MLC players were born in South Africa, Australia, or New Zealand. It is important to highlight that although 11% of MLC players were born in South Asian countries (i.e. Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka) there are no players who were born in India who play in MLC. Due to the fact that India has the biggest market for cricket, professional players are discouraged from playing in leagues outside of India. As a result, there are no players who were born India who play in the MLC. In 2024, the MLC teams with the largest shares of foreign-born players include the Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings, and MI New York. During the 2024 season, the Washington Freedom beat the San Francisco Unicorns to win the championship.
United States National Cricket Team. Across the men’s and women’s 2024 U.S. National Cricket Team, more than half (60%) of players are born abroad. Foreign-born players were born in 11 different countries: India (43%), Pakistan (19%), Jamaica (8%), Canada (5%), Grenada (5%), South Africa (5%), Australia (3%), Barbados (3%), Guyana (3%), New Zealand (3%), and Sri Lanka (3%). The Indian born players on the U.S. National Cricket Team are players who are pursuing their cricket career outside of India. The men’s U.S. National Cricket Team has significantly more foreign-born players (81%) compared to the women’s U.S. National Cricket Team (31%). Half (50%) of foreign-born players on the women’s U.S. National Cricket team were born in India. This is higher compared to foreign-born players on the Men’s U.S. National Cricket Team (41%).
Click here to learn the basic rules of cricket.
For a fact sheet on Major League Cricket players during the 2024 season, click on the below link:
2024 Major League Cricket Fact Sheet
For more information regarding foreign-born players in Major League Cricket in prior seasons, click on the below link: