New Delhi: Major League Cricket (MLC) returns for his fourth season on June 18 with the Texas Super Kings against the Seattle Orcas at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas. It will be the venue for the first seven games of the 34-game contest before moving to the Oakland Coliseum in California and the Knight Riders Cricket Field in Pomona, California.The Knight Riders Cricket Ground is one of the two biggest ‘what’s new’ elements in MLC 2026. It will act as the home base of the LA Knight Riders franchise, which has been awarded a total of seven games. After being christened during the MLC, its capacity will be expanded for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. With LAKR vs. Washington Freedom on July 1st, it will be a big moment for USA cricket. It will be the first time Los Angeles will host a top-level cricket match.“Bringing Major League Cricket to Los Angeles is a huge milestone for our league and for the growth of cricket across the United States,” Johnny Grave, MLC’s executive director, said of the week-long cricket festivities in Southern California.“The Pomona Fair will be the future home of Olympic cricket in 2028 and we are thrilled to give fans in Southern California their first taste of the sport at this well-known venue that is home to the LA County Fair.”
The LA Knight Riders will play their home games at the newly established Knight Riders Cricket Ground at the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, California. (File photo/AP)
The second ‘what’s new’ for MLC 2026 is R Ashwin who will play for the San Francisco Unicorns.The 39-year-old is all set to become the first former Indian international to play in the MLC. It will also be the spinner’s first appearance in a foreign league. He was signed up to play in the Big Bash League, but an untimely injury robbed him of that opportunity.Now he’s ready to shine at the Oakland Coliseum, home of the Unicorns. It will be his first competitive match since playing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) in July 2025.“When I was interested in playing outside India, when I retired, Anand (Rajaraman) and Venky (Harinarayan) [team co-owners] they were the first people to reach out. They were very excited about me coming here,” Ashwin said in a video released by the franchise. “I’m most excited because this is not a country where a lot of cricket is played. Even though I’ve been playing for several decades, I haven’t really had the chance to come and experience America. I was here a couple of months ago. I played a bit of an exhibition game in the same place. It’s very different, even for me. Even though I’ve played cricket for a long time, to come in, blend in with these people… I’m looking forward to it,” he added.Elsewhere, veterans and familiar faces are returning. Steve Smith, who led the Freedom to the 2024 title, returns to take over from Glenn Maxwell. Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran, Faf du Plessis and Matt Short have been retained as captains of LA Knight Riders, defending champions MI New York, Texas Super Kings and Unicorns.The Seattle Orcas, meanwhile, decided to turn things around after missing the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, including just three wins in 10 games last time out. In the upcoming season, the team will be led by Marcus Stoinis, and Adam Voges will take over as coach.
Steve Smith (Washington Freedom), Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings), Jason Holder (LA Knight Riders), Nicholas Pooran (MI New York), Matt Short (San Francisco Unicorns), Marcus Stoinis (Seattle Orcas) will lead their teams in MLC 2026. (Instagram)
Defending champions MI New York are once again the top contenders if their lineup is any indication. Apart from captain Pooran, who had a poor season with Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, the two-time champions include Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Trent Boult, Corbin Bosch, Romario Shepherd, Allah Ghazanfar and Corey Anderson.Pollard is on the cusp of glory and a milestone in MLC 2026. The 39-year-old needs just 81 runs to eclipse Chris Gayle as the all-time leading run-scorer in T20s. Alex Hales, part of LAKR, is 33 tracks from Pollard.As with most T20 leagues, there is a question mark over player availability as competitions clash. However, MLC is in a very favorable position because Stotka only starts later. The T20 Blast in England overlaps, as does the Lanka Premier League at the end with the EUT20 Belgium closing right at the start of the MLC.
MLC 2026 will kick off with the Texas Super Kings vs. Seattle Orcas at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas. (Instagram)
These deals could change plans for AM Ghazanfar (MINY), Romario Shepherd (MINY), Mark Chapman (Freedom), Nikhil Chaudhary (Freedom), Rachin Ravindra (Freedom), Xavier Bartlett (Unicorns), Aaron Hardie (Unicorns), Peter Siddle (Unicorns) and Shimron Hetmyer (Orcas) among others.
