Major League Cricket season 4 to be held in June-July in 2026

New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) Major League Cricket (MLC) fourth season is scheduled to begin on June 18, 2026 with the final taking place on July 18, 2026. The six-team competition will feature 34 games, the organisers said on Wednesday.

The six teams participating in the event are Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings and Washington Freedom.

The MLC is also planning to add two more teams by the 2027 season, with a move to Canada also being explored.

In season 3, a last-ball final at Grand Prairie saw MI New York defeat Washington Freedom by 5 runs, securing a second title in three years. On the field, Season 3 produced 18 team totals above 200, 5 last-ball finishes, and 7 centuries.

"Season 3 showed that demand for top-tier cricket in the U.S. is real and accelerating," said Johnny Grave, CEO of Major League Cricket. “MLC is winning new fans, followers and viewers throughout the USA and around the world. We’re delivering on our promise to grow the game across the USA and build relations with new and existing commercial partners.”

American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the owner of the league, is targeting 10 international standard venues by 2030 with the investement surpassed USD 150 million.

"The next phase is further infrastructure investment. With ACE’s continued backing, our goal is to have 10 international standard venues by 2030, giving more fans access to world-class cricket and creating better environments for American players to develop. Finally, we look forward to bringing even more action and high-quality cricket next year, with MLC Season 4 starting June 18," Grave said.

Launched in 2023, MLC, cricket’s only ICC sanctioned domestic T20 franchise league in the United States, continues to build momentum both on pitch and off, with owners ACE confirming season 3 set new records for ticket sales, broadcast reach and digital engagement.

--IANS

bc/