The fourth season Major League Cricket (MLC) brings the high-octane excitement of world-class T20 cricket to the United States. The tournament, which will run from June 18 to July 18, 2026, has expanded to a full month-long schedule of 34 games that promises intense competition. Six strong franchises assembled with a mix of homegrown American talent and global cricket superstars will battle it out at iconic venues in Texas and California to crown the next champion this American summer.
The tournament kicks off with a massive opening night contest at Grand Prairie Stadium. Texas Super Kings take over Seattle Orcas. This year’s expanded tournament features a comprehensive double-round league stage with all six teams playing each other twice, once at home and once away. Teams earn two points for a win and one point for a draw or forfeit, with net run rate acting as the deciding tiebreaker if teams finish level on points. This grueling 30-match league format is a true test of squad depth, ensuring that only the most consistent and resilient teams earn a spot in the postseason.
After the league stage, the tournament moves into a high-stakes, four-match playoff stage using a playoff system. The top two teams in the table will meet in the Qualifiers, the winner will qualify directly for the Championship Final, and the loser will get a second chance. Meanwhile, the third- and fourth-placed teams will fight for survival in a do-or-die Eliminator game. The winner of that match will face the loser of the Qualifier in the Challenger, deciding who fills the last remaining spot in the grand final.
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MLC 2026: Full squads of all 6 teams
MI New York (MINY): Kieron Pollard (c), Quinton de Kock (WK), Ryan Rickelton (WK), Nicholas Pooran (WK), Monank Patel (WK), Agni Chopra, Tajinder Dhillon, Trent Boult, Sunny Patel, Nosthush Kenjige, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Tristan Luus, Corbin Sherpherord, Tristan Luus, Rushil And Sherord, Faisal Khan Ahmadzai and Kunwarjeet Singh.
Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR): Sunil NarineJason Holder (c), Alex Hales, Unmukt Chand , Saif Badar, Colin Munro, Andre Fletcher (WK), Nitish Kumar, Jahmar Hamilton (WK), Carmi le Roux, Christopher Ramsaran, Ali Khan, Lloyd Pope, Andre Russell, Shadley van Schalkwykwyk, Matpal Gythwyk, Matpal G.
Texas Super Kings (TSK): Faf du Plessis (c), Rilee Rossouw, Calvin Savage, Smit Patel (WK), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Joshua Tromp (WK), Adam Milne, Nandre Burger, Keshav Maharaj, Hardus Viljoen, Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Mohsin, Abhimanyu Mulmbader, Wiiraand, Shubham Ranjane and Amshi de Silva.
Washington Freedom (WF): Steve Smith (c), Mark Chapman, Mukhtar Ahmed, Lahiru Milantha (WK), Andris Ghose (WK), Loki Ferguson, Ben Dwarshuis, Amila Aponso, Saurabh Netrawalkar, Asif Mehmood, Abhishek Paradkar, Yasir Muhammad, Glenn Maxwell, Racine Ravindra, Jan Nikil Holland, Obussen Chaudhary, Jack Edwards and Mitchell Owen.
San Francisco Unicorns (SFU): Finn Allen (WK), Zia-ul-Haq, Connor Esterhuizen, Saideep Ganesh (WK), Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Lhuan-dre Pretorius (WK), Ollie Peake, Aakarshit Gomel, Xavier Bartlett, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ilyas, Juanoy A Khamash Dr. Azam, Matthew Short (c), Aaron Hardie and Anirudh Immanuel.
Seattle Orcas (SO): Shimron Hetmyer, Shehan Jayasuriya, Tim Seifert (WK), Shayan Jahangir, Matthew Breetzke, Sujit Nayak, Sharad Lumba, Rahul Jariwala (WK), Tim Robinson, Cameron Gannon, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman, Harmeet Singh, Tanveer, Daisaep, Tanveer, Shanaka, Marcus Stoinis (c) and Ali Sheikh.
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