Major League Cricket a big hit on debut

Major League Cricket (MLC) has made a resounding debut on the international cricketing stage, with most matches seeing record turnout even though the US is not a traditional cricket-playing country. The grand finale – to be played at 6 am Indian Standard Time on Monday – pits Seattle Orcas, co-owned by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, against Mukesh Ambani’s MI New York at the Grand Prairie Stadium near Dallas. This stadium, which has 7,200 seats, hosted the majority of the 19 games in the inaugural season of the Twenty20 event that started on July 13.

Nadella and Nita Ambani are expected to attend the final.

MLC has secured partnerships with platforms such as Willow TV, CBS Sports, Fox Cricket, SportsMax, JioCinema, Sky NZ, A Sports, SuperSport, and BT Sport, enabling it to reach a global audience, spanning markets including the US, Canada, Australia, the Caribbean islands, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and the UK.

“Cricket in America truly has arrived,” Tom Dunmore, vice-president of marketing at MLC, had told ET last week. “The global impact of the launch of a new major cricket league in a new market is seen in the massive social media engagement and media interest.”

The first edition of MLC comprised six teams: San Francisco Unicorns, helmed by Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan; Seattle Orcas, owned by Satya Nadella, Soma Somasegar, Samir Bodas, Ashok Krishnamurthi, Sanjay Parthasarathy, and GMR Group; Texas Super Kings, owned by India Cements; Washington Freedom under the ownership of American entrepreneur Sanjay Govil; MI New York, backed by the Reliance Industries; and Los Angeles Knight Riders, promoted by Knight Riders Group led by Shah Rukh Khan. The event had secured investment commitments totalling $120 million from a distinguished group of investors led by Nadella to build cricket infrastructure across the US.

American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), a group of more than 20 reputable investors, is responsible for promoting the league. Besides Nadella, this group includes Adobe chairman and CEO Shantanu Narayen, Perot Group chairman Ross Perot Jr., former WhatsApp chief business officer Neeraj Arora, and Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma, among others.MLC has become popular among NRIs due to its cultural connection, star players, global broadcasting, convenient timing, and ability to foster a sense of community and pride. Fans in India can watch live action of the summit clash on Sports 18, Jio Cinema.