Willow TV to broadcast MLC across North America in long-term partnership
By Major League Cricket
Major League Cricket (MLC) announced today that its historic inaugural season will be broadcast live on Willow TV in the United States and Canada this July as part of a landmark five-year partnership.
The long-term media rights agreement with Willow TV brings the transformative T20 franchise competition, featuring many of the world’s top players competing in the United States for the first time, to North America’s premier cricket channel. The broadcasts on Willow TV will feature a world class production, with a 30-camera set-up for the matches at Grand Prairie Stadium in North Texas and Church Street Park in North Carolina.
The broadcast for Major League Cricket’s sold-out inaugural match, between the Texas Super Kings and Los Angeles Knight Riders, will be shown live on Willow TV this Thursday, July 13, starting at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Six teams will compete in MLC’s inaugural season from July 13-30: the Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings and Washington Freedom. Further details on the broadcast schedule can be found at Willow.TV.
Willow TV, the premier broadcaster of cricket in North America for almost 20 years, holds the rights to ICC broadcast and digital rights – including men’s and women’s World Cup events – along with iconic global cricket events such as the Indian Premier League and the Ashes.
Founded in 2003 by Major League Cricket co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan, Willow TV was acquired by the Times of India (TOI) Group in 2016, the largest publishing company in India and South Asia. Willow TV’s partnership with MLC will also see America’s new professional cricket league covered with content across TOI.com and Cricbuzz, providing extensive reach to cricket fans across the US and Canada.
Vijay Srinivasan, Co-founder, Major League Cricket said:
“American cricket fans have been watching the best cricketers in the globe on Willow TV for two decades, and now they can follow the same type of world class action happening here in the United States live on Willow TV. We are thrilled to partner with Willow TV over a long-term agreement that will showcase the world’s best players taking part in America’s transformative T20 competition.”
Satyan Gajwani, Vice-Chairman of Times Internet, said:
“Willow TV is the long-time home for cricket in North America. We are thrilled to add Major League Cricket to our portfolio of world class events and provide fans with the chance to watch T20 franchise action taking place in the United States featuring T20 cricket superstars that Willow subscribers love to watch.”
The new cricket-specific venue in the Dallas-area, Grand Prairie Stadium, will play host to 12 matches in the groundbreaking American professional cricket championship, with seven matches also taking part at Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina.
Superstar players set to take part in MLC include Afghanistan T20 captain Rashid Khan, Pakistan’s Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf, South African internationals Faf du Plessis and David Miller, West Indians Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, Australians Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Finch, England's Jason Roy and New Zealand’s Trent Boult.
LATEST
Coach Boucher on Polly, Rushil and the positives to take…
A tough night, but a night that saw a lot of heart put in. Heart to fight with the bat when the chips were down, heart to pull it back with the ball when the batters were just tonking it around. MI New York Head Coach, Mark Boucher, saw a lot of positives the team could take out of their first game against Washington Freedom, starting with how the team bounced back after a tough start with the ball when Mitchel Owen was carting it around to all parts. “We knew that from watching the game before, we wanted to bowl pace off,” Boucher said at the post-match press conference. “We erred in our lines a little bit. I think the plans we had in place were decent plans. Maybe the execution wasn’t there because he put pressure on us from ball one. If you have a look at all the other batters, we managed to keep their strike-rates down to a decent rate.”Rushil Ugarkar, the star from last year’s MLC triumph, was very impressive, bowling with a lot of heart and pulling things back in the death overs. “He was fantastic tonight. When the ball was travelling all around, he was the positive in our bowling lineup. When I got here last year, to see how far he has come now, credit to his attitude. He is very coachable. He always wants to learn. He is a youngster and he sits and has conversations with Mitch (McClenaghan), myself and all the senior players. He is thirsty for knowledge. He works really hard on the execution. He prepares really well as well. He is a great prospect for the US going forward.”The other positive, obviously, was the centurion, the ever-young Kieron Pollard. “There are a lot of positives we can take out of this game. The way Polly (Kieron Pollard) batted at the end, showed that if you stay at the crease for long enough and get a couple of balls off the middle, it can be easy,” he said. So what’s the fix now? With back to back games, there’s no time to dwell over this loss. “One fix I think is to get the cobwebs out of the system. Then obviously if we can pick up wickets upfront, it will be nice. That’s the only way to stem the flow of runs on this wicket, and we showed that in the last five overs.”The Texas Super Kings are up next. It’s a matchup we love. It’s always an iconic battle. Bring. It. On. 21 Jun, 2026Match 2 | TSKvMINY preview: Quickly building on the Polly infused momenTON
The result might not have been the one we were seeking against the Washington Freedom, but the confidence is there. The positives were there. There’s no time to brood with games coming thick and fast. It’s our chance to make this a happy weekend! The Texas Super Kings are coming off a Saturday loss as well. It’s an iconic rivalry with both team universes producing some epic games over the years. On a pitch that is a proven belter, let’s hope Sunday evening is reserved for an absolute nail-biter. With Kieron Pollard’s century having sent out the warning bugle to tell the world what is to come over the next month, and with Rushil Ugarkar’s big-hearted bowling effort, the tone is set. Let’s paint Texas in our Blue and Gold before we head out for the next leg, shall we? What: Texas Super Kings vs MI New York When: June 21, 2026 | 7:30pm local time (June 22, 6:00am IST)Where: Grand Prairie Stadium, DallasWhat to expect: Another run-fest. Small boundaries, the flattest of pitches, and some of the most dangerous batters on display. We’re in for a show, folks!21 Jun, 2026The LLORD at 14582* – HIGHEST RUN-SCORER in T20s!!
Kieron PoLLORD. The Legend. The Superstar. Now officially at the top of the world! Fresh from shedding his coaching glove for his batting ones, Polly is wasting no time shattering the ceiling. 14582 runs (and counting!), he’s gone past Chris Gayle, and it’s not surprisingly, it’s something he’s super proud of. “He has done great things in all formats of cricket, so again, sorry Universe Boss, but we are both at the top there,” he said. “Thanks to the management for giving me the opportunity to showcase my talent on the world stage for the last 20 years or so. Thanks to my friends and my family who have supported me. Thank you to everybody.”For a batter who primarily plays as a finisher from number five or six, this is a serious achievement. It’s a testament to the genius of the man and the clutch knocks he’s played for teams around the world. As a #OneFamily legend, having made a reputation of pulling off matches from the dead for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, to playing for each of the other teams in the MI Universe and winning titles all around, it feels wonderful that he got to this record in Blue and Gold colors, while smashing a stunning century for MI New York. MI Legend, MI Pride, MI Pollard. 20 Jun, 2026
