Can Major League Cricket sustain its success?

Sam Hogben | 3:17pm BST 31 July 2023

Major League Cricket launched in the United States in 2023 in a longstanding attempt to bring the game to American audiences. Ownership groups from the Indian Premier League have brought their respective franchises to the USA, including the Super Kings, Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, and Delhi Capitals, while two of the other franchises have support from Australian states New South Wales and Cricket Victoria.

As a result, many stars of the white-ball format such as England’s World Cup winners Jason Roy and Liam Plunkett along with international stars Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, and Kagiso Rabada are plying their trade in the new league.

The immediate attraction of star power has resulted in a competitive series, and perhaps more importantly sell-out crowds for the six teams and venues in Major League Cricket situated across the United States.

The question now for Major League Cricket and all involved is whether the competition is sustainable in an already jam-packed schedule for both domestic and international cricket.

Appeal

Taking cricket into the mainstream of US audiences has always been a dream of the International Cricket Council, but there has never been the right demand. Challenging the entrenched hierarchy of baseball as America’s summer sport is always going to be a daunting prospect and it won’t change any time soon.

Audiences have responded to Major League Cricket, selling out the six stadia over a three-week period. The news will please the ownership groups of all six franchises, but there will be the desire to see the league expand in the coming years if it can sustain its success and appeal to American fans. It has been popular too among the leading betting sites in the United States, who have all carried MLC odds for individual games and futures markets.

So, there is plenty of evidence that there is a foundation for Major League Cricket to build on.

The inaugural Major League Cricket season had only 19 games in its schedule, including four playoff games. Compared to over major T20 leagues in the world, the competition is a small one, which could well play into its hands given the schedule.

American fans may appreciate the novelty of a short sharp competition that allows them to enjoy a niche sport for a couple of weeks before tuning back into baseball. The problem Major League Cricket will have is to determine whether these fans are enjoying the novelty for one season or whether it can be sustained over a period of time.

Other T20 leagues around the world have benefitted from being situated in countries where cricket already has a strong following, notably South Africa where SA20 was launched in 2023. The structure of the league is similar to Major League Cricket, where the franchises were also owned by the leading IPL outfits. SA20 enjoyed a fruitful first season, but they too will have the issue of sustainability over a long period of time, including one of the key issues that could make or break Major League Cricket.

Availability

The primary issue that Major League Cricket faces is its competition. It fits into the international cricket schedule at the height of the English summer, meaning that none of the major England stars will be available unless a gap can be made.

Roy decided to make the move to Major League Cricket by sacrificing his England incremental contract and turning his back on the opportunity to play for his county Surrey for their Vitality Blast campaign. Roy is an extreme case and has made his intentions clear that he is a white-ball specialist, but the revitalisation of the England Test team under Ben Stokes may result in players opting to make themselves available for all red-ball matches in the future.

The likes of Stokes, Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, and Mark Wood who specialise in both red-ball and white-ball formats will not turn their backs on their lucrative England contracts. So, there could be a problem attracting the top-tier English talent and whichever teams are touring England during their summer months, which coincide with the Major League Cricket season. Unless the campaign can be shifted to a more amenable period those players will not be available.

Even the IPL has had its issues securing the best English talent, despite offering huge salaries.

There are other issues too. The Global T20 Canada is played at the same time, which steered a portion of players away from MLC north of the border, notably England opener Alex Hales among others from New Zealand such as Tim Southee and Colin de Grandhomme and West Indies’ superstar Chris Gayle.

Major League Cricket will need to open up lines of communication to prevent a crossover, allowing both competitions to take advantage of the top players that are available in the summer months.

Contracts

Roy’s example of tearing up his England contract to play in Major League Cricket is an interesting precedent, which may begin to rear its head across the sport. Mumbai Indians have already locked up players to represent their teams across all T20 competitions such as Dewald Brevis.

Rajasthan Royals are looking to follow suit by tempting Jos Buttler with a four-year contract that would secure the England white-ball captain’s services for the IPL and their other franchises Paarl Royals in SA20 and the Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League. Jofra Archer is another player who has reportedly been offered a lucrative deal by Mumbai Indians.

If players were to accept those contracts it would threaten to tear up the fabric of the game as countries would be forced to ask permission of franchises to allow their players to represent their nations. It is undoubtedly an exciting time in cricket, and although there have only been a few players to take the plunge and accept franchise-only deals at the moment, there may come a time when it spreads throughout the game.

New Zealand’s Trent Boult opted to take a step back from international cricket, while numerous other players are considering rationing their availability for all formats amid the packed schedule.

These contracts could work in the favour of Major League Cricket because of the six teams’ affiliation with their IPL partners. If Archer were to sign with the Indians, he would be available to play for MI New York instead of featuring for England in their summer. It would be at Archer’s discretion what team to choose.

We’re just entering the infancy of these contracts, but outside of the big three nations of India, Australia, and England, international teams are struggling to match the financial packages that can be provided to players from franchise cricket in all corners of the globe.

The MLC and other leagues could soon be flooded with superstars from around the world that will focus on T20 competitions rather than all formats.

Looking Ahead

Major League Cricket has arrived at a pivotal moment in the history of the game, and its development could well dictate the future of how players are handled between the franchise revolution and the status quo of the international game.

However, there are issues that need to be addressed, notably whether MLC is just a novelty for an American audience and interest could quickly wane after a couple of seasons. It may also need to work on its place in the cricketing calendar to avoid other major competitions, especially in England, where luring stars could further boost its profile.

The first season has been a success commercially and it has the chance to be a building block for a permanent place in the US sporting zeitgeist.