USA Cricket and Major League Cricket just announced the launch of Minor League Cricket in the United States
The post Covid summer season in America has brought along some great news for cricket lovers. It looks like the desis’ favorite game with a ball — cricket in the US is finally all set for a facelift.
Over the next few months more than 200 games of cricket will take place at 26 venues, across the country, featuring more than 400 homegrown as well as international players.
USA Cricket and Major League Cricket just announced the launch of a minor cricket league in the US. It’s a national Twenty20 cricket competition for 27 city-based teams from across the country, launching this summer.
Late last week, the organizers announced the official launch of the first semi-T-20 Professional Cricket in the US with 27 teams.
Minor league cricket, according to the organizers, will provide a foundational structure for cricket in the United States, making a pathway to major league cricket and the US national team for the nation’s best players.
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There have been earlier attempts too in the past to revive the game in the US, but most of the cricket in the US remained limited to local clubs and city teams mostly dominated by Indian and Pakistani players along with a few Sri Lankans.
But if the upcoming plans are anything to go by, it looks like the game may actually be on its verge of something bigger in America.
According to USA Cricket, the game is at the cusp of unprecedented growth in the US in the next 10 years. Its vision is to become a full member of the International Cricket Council by 2030.
USA Cricket plans to build five international cricket stadiums, expand cricket to mainstream diaspora through infrastructure and training investments and programs and hold multiple cricket events, including launch of major league cricket in 2022 preceded by minor league cricket in 2021.
American Cricket Enterprise (ACE) entered into an exclusive strategic partnership with the US Cricket Board in 2019, with an investment commitment of over $1 billion dollars to transform cricket experience for over 20 million local fans with the launch of Major League Cricket (MLC), Minor League Cricket, Major League Academies and multiple cricketing events.
Under the MLC umbrella, the company will also provide support to US’ men and women’s teams with the goal of elevating Cricket America to the highest level of international competition through massive infrastructure and training investment.
Read: Cricket legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul boosts cricket in Tampa Bay (May 28, 2021)
Minor League Cricket is the first semi-professional Twenty20 cricket competition launched last year. The new 2021 season will be starting on July 31 and will continue until Oct 3.
Some of Minor League Cricket teams are named Chicago Blasters, Seattle Thunderbolts, Golden State Grizzlies, Silicon Valley Strikers, Hollywood Master Blasters, St. Louis Americans, Houston Hurricane, Austin Athletics, Irving Mustangs, Bay Blazers and Michigan Cricket Stars.
With the local teams currently spending the summer prepping up the game and big things in store for next year it looks like cricket may finally have its field day in America!