Following UAE’s ILT20’s accreditation of List A status by the ICC earlier this year, Major League Cricket (MLC) has become the second the competition with franchises run by associates to acquire a List A status by the ICC.
The accreditation of the list A status means that MLC will now be recognized as an official T20 league by the ICC, which would benefit the organizers of the league. MLC Director, Justin Geale expressed his excitement over the news, revealing how important the step would be in order to explore the cricket market in the United States.
Talking to ESPNcricinfo Geale thanked the efforts from the ICC to take a look at the cricket in the USA and providing them with the official recognition.
“We are really excited for the news as it’s a recognition of the standard and high quality of players taking part in the tournament. By awarding MLC List A status for the upcoming season, it assists to acknowledge the strength and growing stature of the tournament and ultimately will help to enhance the credibility of the sport in the USA on a global scale.” he said.
USA will also be hosting the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup alongside the West Indies starting June 1. The prestigious tournament in being hosted on North American soil for the first time and will be a huge opportunity to explore the American cricket market
“We are an Associate nation and proud of that, one with a unique opportunity in front of us. It’s our hope that on the back of the upcoming World Cup and a successful season we can continue to build a platform for the sport to grow and ultimately succeed in the USA,” Geale said.
Moreover, cricket will also make its debut as an Olympic sport at 2028 Los Angeles Games.
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When will Major League Cricket 2024 start?
The 2024 edition of the MLC is scheduled to begin from July 5, a week after the T20 World Cup concludes. MI New York will be defending their title from the inaugural MLC season last year. The Board have also planned on extending the number of teams from six to ten by the 2025 season of the competition.
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Chief Executive of the MLC, Vijay Srinivasan revealed the plan of extending the number of teams to The Guardian. Srinivasan stated “Studies show that we are a big enough country, with a big enough demographic to support 10 teams, so that’s our plan. We had 19 games in our first season, and will have 25 in our second. I think we want to get to 34 next year, and just gradually keep expanding”
Srinavasn also mentioned that they would be planning to kick start the season earlier from next season onwards. The plan would be to start the IPL early in June, a few weeks after the end of the IPL season.