MLC 2026: R Ashwin joins the party; MI New York look like favorites again

Major League Cricket (MLC) captains before the fourth season. (Instagram) New Delhi: Major League Cricket (MLC) returns for its fourth season on June 18 with the Texas Super Kings taking on the Seattle Orcas at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas. It will be the venue for the first seven games of the 34-match contest before moving 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” features for MLC 2026. It will serve as the home base for the LA Knight Riders franchise, which has a total of seven games. Following its christening during the MLC, its capacity will be expanded for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. With LAKR taking on the Washington Freedom on July 1, it will be a big moment for USA cricket. 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, MLC CEO, about the week-long Southern California cricket festivities.“The Pomona Fairgrounds will be the future home of Olympic cricket in 2028 and we are excited to give fans in Southern California their first taste of the sport at this storied venue that is home to the LA County Fair.”

The LA Knight Riders will play their home games at the newly established Knight Riders Cricket Ground at the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, California. (File photo/AP)

The other ‘what’s new’ for MLC 2026 is R Ashwin who will be playing for the San Francisco Unicorns.The 39-year-old is all set to become the first former Indian 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 early injury took that opportunity away from him.Now he’s set to dazzle at the Oakland Coliseum, home of the Unicorns. It will be his first competitive match since playing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) in July 2025.“When I was interested in playing outside India after I retired, Anand (Rajaraman) and Venky (Harinarayan) (co-owners of the team) were the first people to approach me. They were very excited about me coming here,” Ashwin said in a video released by the franchise. “I’m mainly excited because this is not a country that plays a lot of cricket. Even though I’ve been playing for several decades, I haven’t really had a chance to visit America and experience it. I was here a few months ago. I played a bit of an exhibition match at the same place. It’s very different, even for me. Even though I’ve played cricket for a long time, to get ahead, to connect with these people,” he added.Elsewhere, veterans and familiar faces are returning. Steve Smith, who led the Freedom to the title in 2024, is back to take over leadership duties from Glenn Maxwell. Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran, Faf du Plessis and Matt Short were all retained as captains for LA Knight Riders, defending champions MI New York, Texas Super Kings and Unicorns respectively.The Seattle Orcas, meanwhile, are looking to turn things around after missing the playoffs for two straight seasons, including just three wins in 10 games last time out. Marcus Stoinis will lead the team in the coming season, Adam Voges will be the coach.

Steve Smith (Washington Freedom), Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings), Jason Holder (LA Knight Riders), Nicholas Pooran (MI New York), Matt Short (San Francisco Unicorns), Marcus Stoinis (Seattle Orcas) will lead their teams in MLC 2026. (Instagram)

Defending champions MI New York are once again the top contenders if their squad is any indication. Apart from captain Pooran, who had a terrible season with 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 middle.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 leading run-scorer in T20s. Alex Hales, who is part of LAKR, is 33 runs behind Pollard.As with most T20 leagues, there is a question mark over player availability as the competitions clash. But MLC finds itself in a very favorable position, with the hundred starting later. The T20 Blast in England overlaps, as does the Lanka Premier League at the end, EUT20 Belgium closes just as the MLC begins.

MLC 2026 will begin with the Texas Super Kings vs. Seattle Orcas at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas. (Instagram)

These measures 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) among others (Orcas).