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New Delhi: Major League Cricket (MLC) returns for its fourth season on June 18 with Texas Super Kings taking on Seattle Orcas at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas. It will be the venue for the first seven games of the 34-match competition before it moves to the Oakland Coliseum in California and the Knight Riders Cricket Field in Pomona, California.
The Knight Riders Cricket Field is one of the two biggest ‘what’s new’ elements to MLC 2026. It will act as the home base of the LA Knight Riders franchise, allocated seven matches in total. After its christening during the MLC, its capacity will be expanded for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
With LAKR taking on Washington Freedom on July 1, it will be a big moment for cricket in the USA. 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,” said Johnny Grave, CEO of MLC about a week’s cricket festivities in southern California.
“The Pomona Fairgrounds will be the future home of Olympic cricket in 2028, and we’re 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 second ‘what’s new’ for MLC 2026 is R Ashwin who will play for the San Francisco Unicorns.
The 39-year-old is poised to become the first ex-India 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 took that opportunity away from him.
Now, he is set to dazzle at the Oakland Coliseum, the home base of the Unicorns. It will be his first competitive fixture since playing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) in July 2025.
“When I was interested in playing outside of India, when I retired, Anand (Rajaraman) and Venky (Harinarayan) [team co-owners] were the first people to reach out. They were very excited about me getting here,” said Ashwin in a video posted by the franchise.
“I’m mostly excited because this is not one country where you play a lot of cricket. Even though I have played for a couple of decades, didn’t really get a chance to come around and experience America. I was here a couple of months ago. I played a bit of an exhibition game in the same venue. It’s very different, even for me. Even though I have played cricket for a long time, to get in, blend in with these people… Look forward to it,” he added.
Elsewhere, the veterans and familiar faces return. Steve Smith, who led the Freedom to the title in 2024, is back and takes over the leadership duties from Glenn Maxwell. Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran, Faf du Plessis and Matt Short have all been retained as captains by LA Knight Riders, defending champions MI New York, Texas Super Kings and Unicorns, respectively.
Seattle Orcas, meanwhile, have decided to switch things around after missing the playoffs for two straight seasons, including just three wins in 10 matches last time around. Marcus Stoinis will lead the team in the upcoming season with Adam Voges coming in as the coach.
Defending champions MI New York are once again top contenders if their squad is any indication. Besides skipper Pooran, who did have a horrid season with the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, the two-time champions have Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Trent Boult, Corbin Bosch, Romario Shepherd, Allah Ghazanfar and Corey Anderson in their midst.
Pollard is on the cusp of glory and milestones in MLC 2026. The 39-year-old needs just 81 runs to eclipse Chris Gayle as the all-time highest scorer in T20s. Alex Hales, part of the LAKR, is 33 runs adrift of Pollard.
As with most T20 leagues, there’s the question mark over player availability as competitions clash. But MLC finds itself in a largely favourable position with the Hundred not starting until later. The T20 Blast in England does overlap, as does Lanka Premier League at the fag end with EUT20 Belgium closing out just as the MLC begins.
These arrangements 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.
