2024 Major League Cricket season
![]() | |
Dates | 5 – 28 July 2024 |
---|---|
Administrator(s) | American Cricket Enterprises USA Cricket |
Cricket format | Twenty20 |
Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and playoffs |
Host(s) | ![]() |
Champions | Washington Freedom (1st title) |
Runners-up | San Francisco Unicorns |
Participants | 6 |
Matches | 25 |
Player of the series | Travis Head (Washington Freedom) |
Most runs | Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings) (420) |
Most wickets | Saurabh Netravalkar (Washington Freedom) (15) |
Official website | Major League Cricket |
The 2024 Major League Cricket season (also known as MLC 2024, or for sponsorship reasons as 2024 Cognizant Major League Cricket) was the second season of Major League Cricket,[1][2] a franchise Twenty20 cricket league established in 2019 by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) in the United States.[3] The season was hosted, as was the case of the previous season, at two venues: Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas and Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina.[4] The tournament began on 5 July to and the final was held on 28 July 2024, with MI New York as the previous defending champions.[5]
In the final, Washington Freedom defeated San Francisco Unicorns by 96 runs to win their first title.
Background
[edit]In December 2023, it was announced that the second season of the tournament would begin on 5 July 2024, four days after the conclusion of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[6] This was later moved back a day to 5 July.[7] It was also reported that matches would be played at Grand Prairie Stadium, alongside other venues.[8] By March 2024, MLC had announced that they had signed Cognizant to serve as the season's title sponsor.[9]
On 15 February 2024, the overseas players' retention lists were announced, with the number of overseas slots having been upped to nine.[10] In the following months, teams would go on to select further overseas players, including Australian cricketers Steven Smith and Travis Head.[11][12] The domestic players' draft was virtually held on 21 March 2024, with a total of 20 players being picked by the teams over 10 rounds.[13] An additional draft is scheduled for 16 June in order for teams to complete their squads.[14] The season schedule was released on 7 May, with defending champions MI New York to face the Seattle Orcas in the season opener, and the final set for 28 July.[7]
The full list of season fixtures were released by MLC on 7 May.[15] Later that month, MLC announced that they had obtained official List A status for all tournament fixtures, becoming the second Associate-run league to have it alongside the ILT20.[16]
Teams
[edit]All the six teams from the previous season took part this season.
Franchise | Captain | Head coach |
---|---|---|
Los Angeles Knight Riders | Sunil Narine | Phil Simmons |
MI New York | Kieron Pollard | Robin Peterson |
San Francisco Unicorns | Corey Anderson | Shane Watson |
Seattle Orcas | Wayne Parnell | Pravin Amre |
Texas Super Kings | Faf du Plessis | Stephen Fleming |
Washington Freedom | Steve Smith | Ricky Ponting |
Squads
[edit]A minimum of 16 players and a maximum of 19 players can be selected by the teams with a maximum of nine overseas players. The teams can also retain their domestic players during the retention window, which was open till 29 February 2024.[17] The teams were allowed to select the remaining domestic players during the draft held on 21 March 2024, and another additional draft held on 16 June 2024.[citation needed]
Los Angeles Knight Riders | MI New York | San Francisco Unicorns | Seattle Orcas | Texas Super Kings | Washington Freedom |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Venues
[edit]Matches are set to held at two venues, Grand Prairie Stadium with a capacity of 7,200 located in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Church Street Park with a capacity of 3,500, located in Morrisville, North Carolina.[19]
Points table
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Washington Freedom (C) | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1.891 | Advanced to Qualifier |
2 | San Francisco Unicorns | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0.588 | |
3 | Texas Super Kings | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0.604 | Advanced to Eliminator |
4 | MI New York | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | −0.451 | |
5 | Los Angeles Knight Riders | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | −0.710 | |
6 | Seattle Orcas | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | −1.312 |
League stage
[edit]Seattle Orcas
108 (19.1 overs) |
v
|
MI New York
111/4 (14.2 overs) |
- MI New York won the toss and elected to field.
- Ruben Clinton (MI New York) made his T20 debut.
Los Angeles Knight Riders
162/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Texas Super Kings (H)
150/8 (20 overs) |
- Texas Super Kings won the toss and elected to field.
- Joshua Tromp (Texas Super Kings) made his T20 debut.
MI New York
154/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Washington Freedom
55/1 (7.4 overs) |
- Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to field.
- Rain prevented any further play.
- Washington Freedom were 4 runs ahead of the DLS par score of 51 runs from 7.4 overs.
Los Angeles Knight Riders
165/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
San Francisco Unicorns
166/4 (15.2 overs) |
- San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to field.
- Sanjay Krishnamurthi (San Francisco Unicorns) made his T20 debut.
Texas Super Kings
203/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
Washington Freedom
62/0 (4 overs) |
Travis Head 32* (12)
|
- Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to field.
- Rain prevented any further play.
Los Angeles Knight Riders
168/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
Seattle Orcas
169/1 (19.5 overs) |
- Seattle Orcas won the toss and elected to field.
- Ryan Rickelton (Seattle Orcas) scored his first century in T20s.[20]
San Francisco Unicorns
127 (17.5 overs) |
v
|
Texas Super Kings
128/3 (12.5 overs) |
- Texas Super Kings won the toss and elected to field.
Seattle Orcas
124 (19.4 overs) |
v
|
Washington Freedom
127/5 (18.2 overs) |
- Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to field.
v
|
||
- No toss.
- No play was possible due to rain.
v
|
||
- No toss.
- No play was possible due to rain.
Los Angeles Knight Riders
129 (18.4 overs) |
v
|
Washington Freedom
130/2 (16 overs) |
- Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to field.
(H) Texas Super Kings
176/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
MI New York
161/7 (20 overs) |
- MI New York won the toss and elected to field.
San Francisco Unicorns
165/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Seattle Orcas
142/6 (20 overs) |
- Seattle Orcas won the toss and elected to field.
Washington Freedom
182/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
MI New York
88 (13.3 overs) |
- MI New York won the toss and elected to field.
Seattle Orcas
142/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Los Angeles Knight Riders
143/6 (19.1 overs) |
- Seattle Orcas won the toss and elected to bat.
- Ali Sheikh (Seattle Orcas) made his T20 debut.
San Francisco Unicorns
148/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
MI New York
145/7 (20 overs) |
- San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to bat.
Washington Freedom
206/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
Texas Super Kings (H)
164 (19.5 overs) |
- Texas Super Kings won the toss and elected to field.
- Noor Ahmad (Texas Super Kings) took his 100th wicket in T20s.
Seattle Orcas
152/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
San Francisco Unicorns
156/4 (14.2 overs) |
- San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to field.
- Quinton de Kock (Seattle Orcas) scored his 10,000th run in T20s.
Los Angeles Knight Riders
130 (19.1 overs) |
v
|
MI New York
134/6 (17 overs) |
- MI New York won the toss and elected to field.
- Rushil Ugarkar (MI New York) made his T20 debut.
Washington Freedom
174/3 (15.3 overs) |
v
|
San Francisco Unicorns
177/4 (13.4 overs) |
- San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to field.
- Washington Freedom innings was reduced to 15.3 overs due to rain.
- San Francisco Unicorns were set a revised target of 177 runs from 14 overs due to rain.
- Juanoy Drysdale (San Francisco Unicorns) made his T20 debut.
(H) Texas Super Kings
177/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Seattle Orcas
140/9 (20 overs) |
- Seattle Orcas won the toss and elected to field.
- Ayan Desai (Seattle Orcas) and Zia Shahzad (Texas Super Kings) both made their T20 debut.
Play-offs
[edit]Qualifier | Challenger | Final | |||||||||||
25 July 2024 – Dallas | 28 July 2024 – Dallas | ||||||||||||
1 | Washington Freedom | 149/3 (15.3 overs) | QW | Washington Freedom | 207/5 (20 overs) | ||||||||
2 | San Francisco Unicorns | 145 (19 overs) | 26 July 2024 – Dallas | CW | San Francisco Unicorns | 111 (16 overs) | |||||||
QL | San Francisco Unicorns | 200/6 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
Eliminator | EW | Texas Super Kings | 190/4 (20 overs) | ||||||||||
24 July 2024 – Dallas | |||||||||||||
3 | Texas Super Kings | 167/1 (18.3 overs) | |||||||||||
4 | MI New York | 163/8 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
Eliminator
[edit]MI New York
163/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Texas Super Kings (H)
167/1 (18.3 overs) |
- Texas Super Kings won the toss and elected to field.
Qualifier
[edit]San Francisco Unicorns
145 (19 overs) |
v
|
Washington Freedom
149/3 (15.3 overs) |
- Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to field.
Challenger
[edit]San Francisco Unicorns
200/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Texas Super Kings (H)
190/4 (20 overs) |
- Texas Super Kings won the toss and elected to field.
Final
[edit]Washington Freedom
207/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
San Francisco Unicorns
111 (16 overs) |
- San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to field.
Statistics
[edit]Most runs
[edit]Runs | Player | Team | Inns | HS | SR | Ave |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
420 | Faf du Plessis | Texas Super Kings | 8 | 100 | 171.42 | 52.50 |
336 | Steve Smith | Washington Freedom | 9 | 88 | 148.67 | 56.00 |
Travis Head | 9 | 77* | 173.19 | 48.00 | ||
306 | Finn Allen | San Francisco Unicorns | 9 | 101 | 187.73 | 34.00 |
293 | Devon Conway | Texas Super Kings | 8 | 62* | 143.62 | 58.60 |
Source: ESPNCricinfo |
Most wickets
[edit]Wkts | Player | Team | Inns | Ovs | BBI | Eco |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 | Saurabh Netravalkar | Washington Freedom | 7 | 26.2 | 4/35 | 7.67 |
12 | Rachin Ravindra | Washington Freedom | 6 | 15.1 | 4/11 | 4.81 |
11 | Cameron Gannon | Seattle Orcas | 7 | 23.0 | 3/26 | 9.21 |
Marco Jansen | Washington Freedom | 8 | 31.0 | 3/28 | 8.61 | |
10 | Hassan Khan | San Francisco Unicorns | 7 | 22.0 | 3/5 | 7.09 |
Rashid Khan | MI New York | 7 | 26 | 3/22 | 6.15 | |
Glenn Maxwell | Washington Freedom | 8 | 25.3 | 3/15 | 6.66 | |
Lockie Ferguson | 7 | 25.2 | 4/26 | 7.26 | ||
Source: ESPNCricinfo |
Awards
[edit]On July 29, 2024, a list of end of season awards was announced.[21]
Name | Team | Award |
---|---|---|
Travis Head | Washington Freedom | Most Valuable Player |
Faf du Plessis | Texas Super Kings | Leading run scorer |
Saurabh Netravalkar | Washington Freedom | Leading wicket taker |
Hassan Khan | San Francisco Unicorns | Domestic Player of the Series |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Cognizant named as Major League Cricket title partner". Major League Cricket. 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Ahead of second season, Major League Cricket signs Cognizant as title sponsor". The Economic Times. 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Cognizant announced as Major League Cricket title partner". Financial Express. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Roy, Anjishnu (7 May 2024). "Major League Cricket 2024: MI New York vs Seattle Orcas in season opener - full MLC schedule". Olympics. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Mumbai Indians New York: Champions of the first ever Major League Cricket T20 tournament in the US". Forbes. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "MLC 2024 set for July 4 start". Cricbuzz. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ a b Roller, Matt (7 May 2023). "MLC 2024 to begin on July 5, set for six-day clash with The Hundred". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Major League Cricket Announces 2024 Season Window". Major League Cricket. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ Broughton, David (13 March 2023). "Cognizant becomes first title sponsor for Major League Cricket". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL T20 SUPERSTARS RETURNING FOR MLC SEASON TWO". Major League Cricket. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Australia batter Steve Smith joins Washington Freedom for 2nd season of Major League Cricket". The Associated Press. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Malcolm, Alex (15 April 2023). "Travis Head joins Steven Smith at Washington Freedom for Major League Cricket 2024". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "2024 MLC Domestic Draft Results". Major League Cricket. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Patel, Smit (21 March 2024). "MLC Domestic Draft: Hassan Khan, Joshua Tromp draw top dollars. Smit Patel unsold". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Lavalette, Tristan (8 May 2024). "Major League Cricket Enters Pivotal Second Season". Forbes. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "USA's Major League Cricket acquires List A status from ICC". Hindustan Times. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ "MLC 2024: All Six Major League Cricket Teams Announce Domestic Players Retained". News 18. 2 March 2024.
- ^ "2024 MLC Domestic Draft Results". Major League Cricket. 22 March 2024.
- ^ Coyne, Craig (31 May 2024). "Can Cricket Conquer America?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Ryan Rickelton century downs LA Knight Riders". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Washington Freedom crowned Cognizant Major League Cricket 2024 champions after stunning final victory". Major League Cricket. 29 July 2024.