Revolution. It’s not a term to be thrown around lightly. In the context of the American cricket ecosystem, what’s waiting to happen is a revolution and a half! MI New York is here. The Major League Cricket (MLC) is here. As we get ready to get cracking for the next three weeks and hit the ground, this is your cheat sheet for all the doubts you might have. 

Wait … What’s happening in the USA?

Professional cricket is officially being launched in the USA. In a first-of-its-kind franchise tournament, six teams will battle it out in a three-week-long tournament. With the goal of bringing world-class cricket to the USA, the MLC has partnered with USA Cricket to enhance competition and develop skills across the country.

Who’s playing then? What’s the format? 

Six teams – MI New York, Texas Super Kings and LA Knight Riders are extensions of their IPL franchises. Washington Freedom, San Francisco Unicorns, and Seattle Orcas are the other three. Each plays the other once, which translates into a five-team group stage, followed by the IPL-style play-offs (Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2, and the Final). 

So home and away format then, right?

Nope. All the matches are set to be played across two venues in a caravan format. The Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas plays host to the first leg (three MI NY matches) and the play-offs before the action moves to Church Street Park, Morrisville for the second leg. 

Okay, tell me more about MI New York

After Cape Town, Abu Dhabi and the entry into WPL, the MI family expansion has reached the US. The exciting city and most international city of New York is where the new team comes from. The city is known for its sporting teams right from the NY Mets, the NY Jets, the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets. It’s time we add MI New York to that list! 

And our star-studded team will make you fall in love with it. Kieron Pollard is back in action as the skipper for the team. We boast of Steven Taylor, a true blue homegrown talent. Trent Boult, Nicholas Pooran, Tim David, Kagiso Rabada from the MI metaverse converge to make this all the more special. 

I’m already excited. When’s it starting? When are we playing? And the timings?

Save the dates because we have an action-packed set of games coming up for you … And if you happen to be watching it from India or the eastern part of the globe, don’t forget to bring your favorite midnight snack because we are going to have to stay up late with these times. Or maybe an early morning breakfast packed with some sixes and fours from our batting order!

14^th July | 15:30 PM CDT, 02:00 AM IST (15^th July) | Grand Prairie Stadium

MI New York vs. San Francisco Unicorns 

16^th July | 19:30 PM CDT, 06:00 AM IST (17^th July) | Grand Prairie Stadium

Los Angeles Knight Riders vs. MI New York

17^th July | 19:30 PM CDT, 06:00 AM IST (18^th July) | Grand Prairie Stadium

Texas Super Kings vs. MI  New York 

23^rd July | 17:30 PM CDT, 04:00 AM IST (24^th July) | Church Street Park 

MI New York vs. Washington Freedom 

25^th July | 17:30 PM CDT, 04:00 AM IST (26^th July) | Church Street Park 

MI New York vs. Seattle Orcas 

Right. Let’s get into the specifics now. What’s the local-overseas ratio? 

In a move that’s set to bolster the USA players and allow a large number of them to rub shoulders with the international superstars on the field in crunch moments, thereby providing them a gold mine of experience, a maximum of six overseas players are allowed in every playing XI. And among the minimum of five local USA players on the side, a rookie/under-23 player is mandatory. 

Tell us about our local players

The American National Team skipper Monank Patel, is also an integral part of MI New York. We have also got the very special Steven Taylor, who made history as the first USA-born player to be picked in the Draft. And You might have seen Sarbjeet Ladda before in his brief stints with the competitive franchises of Delhi Daredevils (2010), Kolkata Knight Riders (2011-13), and the Gujrat Lions (2016-17). Among the others, there’s a former engineer, a Bengaluru-bred all-rounder, and a local Queens-born lad.

Finally, where do I follow it?

If you’re watching it from India, the Viacom group has bagged the broadcast rights, which means JioCinema will stream digitally it and Sports18 will be your go-to broadcast channel. For all other exclusive MI NY related content, previews, reports, player features, videos, scorecards and stats, hop onto the minycricket.com website and follow all its social media handles.