The Texas Super Kings are getting ready to swing their bats, bowl their best, and take some wicked wickets. In other words, what North Texans hope will be the top team in Major League Cricket is poised for play on the league’s premier cricket venue in Grand Prairie. And now they know their whole 2023 schedule—and the league’s as well.
The league’s inaugural season will be played in just two venues: Grand Prairie Stadium (located near Lone Star Park off I-30 between Dallas and Fort Worth) and Church Creek Park in Morrisville, North Carolina, part of greater Raleigh.
Inaugural match is set for July 13 in Grand Prairie
The league’s first-ever match will be held Thursday, July 13, at 7:30 at Grand Prairie Stadium, with the Super Kings taking on the Los Angeles Knight Riders. Both teams are set to bring superstar players who have played for the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, MLC said.
On the day after—Friday, July 14—the league’s four other teams will play in a double header at Grand Prairie Stadium.
At 3:30 p.m., MI New York will face the San Francisco Unicorns. The MLC says the Unicorns have signed former Australia one-day international captain Aaron Finch, fellow Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi, England’s World Cup-winning fast bowler Liam Plunkett, and New Zealand star Corey Anderson.
These are some of the biggest stars in world cricket
If those names above mean little to you, just look for a nearby rabid cricket fan—whose eyes will probably be popping out of their skulls in anticipation.
The Friday evening match on July 14 will feature the Seattle Orcas taking on the Washington Freedom.
MLC said the Orcas have announced the signings of South African internationals Quinton de Kock and Wayne Parnell and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and Sri Lankan Dasun Shanaka. The Freedom’s announced stars include South Africans Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen alongside Sri Lankan spin bowler Wanindu Hasaranga and New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips and Adam Milne, along with Australians Josh Philippe and Moises Henriques.
After additional matches the weekend of July 15-16, the league will head for North Carolina to play a round of inaugural matches at Church Creek Park.
MLC Championship Finals to be held in Grand Prairie
The first-ever MLC Championship Finals will be a collision of playoff encounters at Grand Prairie Stadium. The league’s “Eliminator” match will see the third and fourth seeds face off on Thursday, July 27, starting at 3:30 p.m., MLC said, with the winner advancing to the “Challenger” match and the loser eliminated.
On the evening of July 27, the top two seeds will compete with the winner of the “Qualifier” match, advancing directly to the championship final.
Friday evening, July 28, will offer up the “Challenger” match, with the winner of the “Eliminator” game taking on the loser of the “Qualifier” match to determine who will move on to the Championship Final on Sunday, July 30.
The final match—crowning Major League Cricket’s first-ever champion—is slated for 7:30 p.m. CST July 30 at Grand Prairie Stadium. U.S. and international broadcast info for the championship will be announced soon, the MLC said.
For more info and to see the full schedule, go here.
Tickets for the inaugural season can be purchased by going here.
Perot Jain Partner Anurag Jain and Ross Perot Jr. are among MLC’s investors
A year ago, Dallas Innovates told you about two of the biggest investors in Major League Cricket, Noted Dallas business leaders Anurag Jain, partner with Perot Jain and chairman of Access Healthcare, and Ross Perot Jr., chairman of the Perot Group. You can read more about how they helped launch the league by reading our story here.
League plays a fast-paced form of cricket
Twenty20 (also known as T20) is a fast-paced form of cricket that’s been adopted by Major League Cricket. It’s one of the three current forms of cricket recognized by the International Cricket Council for the highest international or domestic level of the sport, according to the MLC.
In March, the league held its first-ever draft. You can see who the Texas Super Kings selected by reading our story here.
HKS redesigned the former AirHogs ballpark into Grand Prairie Stadium
Noted sports architect HKS is transforming the former AirHogs baseball park into Grand Prairie Stadium, a world-class cricket venue with major event capacity, seating expandable to 20,000, and outstanding luxury and premium hospitality space.
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R E A D N E X T
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Major League Cricket is coming to Grand Prairie Stadium starting in July after the league held its first draft of domestic players for teams including the newly named Texas Super Kings. The team also has a newly named coach: Stephen Fleming, a former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team and head coach of Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings.
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