Minor League Cricket
Official logo of Minor League Cricket (MiLC)
CountriesUnited States
AdministratorUSA Cricket
FormatT20
First edition2021
Latest edition2023
Next edition2024
Tournament formatDouble round-robin and Playoffs
Number of teams26
Current championDallas Mustangs (1st title)
Most successful
Most runsAndries Gous (1579)
Most wicketsPhani Simhadri (74)
TV
Websiteminorleaguecricket.com
Seasons

Minor League Cricket (branded as the Sunoco Minor League Cricket championship for sponsorship reasons,[1] and sometimes shortened to MiLC) is an American Twenty20 cricket developmental league for Major League Cricket which completed its first season in 2021,[2][3] after it was delayed from a mid-to-late 2020 start due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] It consists of 26 teams from four regions.[5] The league began its regional draft process in late-August 2020, and a series of exhibition games in September 2020.[4] The draft for the league began on June 4, 2021.[6] The Strikers won the inaugural finals against the New Jersey Stallions by six wickets, with the Thunderbolts winning the 2022 finals against the Atlanta Fire by ten runs.

History

Formation

Talks of an American Twenty20 league started in November 2018, just before USA Cricket became the new governing body of cricket in the United States.[7][8] In May 2021, USA Cricket announced they had accepted a bid by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) for a $1 billion investment covering the league and other investments benefitting the U.S. national teams.[9]

In an Annual General Meeting on February 21, 2020, it was announced that ACE was planning to launch its professional T20 league Major League Cricket in 2021, and a developmental league, Minor League Cricket that summer.[10] USA Cricket CEO Iain Higgins stated that ACE had "demonstrated an understanding of the importance of addressing various fundamental issues within the domestic game in the United States", and listed a number of metropolitan areas that the developmental league planned to target for franchises.[11]

Both leagues would be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, with Minor League Cricket being delayed to 2021, and Major League Cricket provisionally postponed to 2022 (in May 2021, Major League Cricket would be further-delayed to 2023 due to both the pandemic, and the need to develop more facilities).[12][13] Minor League Cricket would still soft launch in 2020 with an exhibition league;[14][15] the draft for the exhibition league began on August 22, 2020,[16] with the teams releasing their squads on August 24.[17]

2021

After the conclusion of the exhibition league, USA Cricket announced that they were planning to launch the inaugural season of Minor League Cricket in the spring of 2021.[18] The season launched on July 31, 2021,[19] and ran until October 3, 2021, where the Silicon Valley Strikers won the finals against the New Jersey Stallions by six wickets to win the inaugural season title.[20] The sanctioning body announced plans to establish women's leagues in the future.[21]

In February 2021, MLC announced plans for a youth version of Minor and Major League Cricket, as part of a pathway to give young cricketers the opportunity to play for official domestic teams and the national team.[22] In June 2022, MLC announced the inaugural season of the Minor League Cricket Youth Tournament (shortened to MiLC Youth), with UST tapped as title sponsor for the tournament.[23] The inaugural season of MiLC Youth was announced to be contested between 11 teams at the Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston starting July 25, 2022.[24] The finals for the inaugural season took place on July 29 at between the Dallas Mustangs and the New Jersey Stallions,[25] in which the Stallions beat the Mustangs by two wickets.[26]

2022

In January 2022, USA Cricket announced that the 2022 Minor League Cricket season would start on June 25, and conclude with the final on August 28.[27] The 2022 finals were won by the Seattle Thunderbolts, who beat the Atlanta Fire by ten runs to win their maiden MiLC title.[28][29] It was also announced in June 2022 that the budget for the 2022 season was more than $5 million.[30]

2023

Amid a dispute with USA Cricket, tournament directors pushed for a June 10 start to the 2023 season of Minor League Cricket.[31] However, this was pushed back to August 4, a week ahead of the conclusion of the 2023 Major League Cricket season.[32] The season saw the discontinuation of two franchises, as well as the renaming of two other teams amid managerial shakeups.[33][34] The season concluded on October 1, with the Dallas Mustangs defeating the NJ Somerset Cavaliers by 44 runs.[35] All matches played during the season were played on either real grass or hybrid wickets.[36]

In June, MiLC signed a deal with Cricket Canada and Boundaries North to help grow the game in the country through the potential formation of around 4-6 teams based in the area.[37] MiLC announced that they were looking into the British Columbia and Greater Toronto Areas for expansion as soon as the 2024 season.[38]

2024

Current teams

Unlike Major League Cricket, Minor League Cricket uses privately owned franchises. American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) announced 24 teams and their owners on August 15, 2020.[39] On June 3, 2021, ACE added three more teams.[40] Additionally, the teams are part of two "conferences", which are each split into two "divisions". This consists of the Pacific Conference, split into the Western and Central divisions, and the Atlantic Conference, which is split into the Eastern and Southern divisions.[41]

Conference Division Team Location Venue Founded
Atlantic Conference Northern Empire State Titans New York City, New York Idlewild Park 2020
Manhattan Yorkers New York City, New York Mercer County Park 2020
New England Eagles Boston, Massachusetts Keney Park 2020
New Jersey Somerset Cavaliers Somerset, New Jersey Howe Athletic Complex 2020
New Jersey Stallions Jersey City, New Jersey Howe Athletic Complex 2020
The Philadelphians Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Exton Park 2020
Southern Atlanta Fire Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta Cricket Field 2020
Atlanta Lightning Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta Cricket Field 2022
Baltimore Royals Baltimore, Maryland Veterans Memorial Park 2020
Ft. Lauderdale Lions Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Broward County Stadium 2020
Morrisville Raptors Morrisville, North Carolina Church Street Park 2020
Orlando Galaxy Orlando, Florida Silverstar Recreation Park 2020
Pacific Conference Central Chicago Kingsmen Chicago, Illinois Hanover Park 2020
Chicago Tigers Chicago, Illinois Hanover Park 2022
Dallas Mustangs Dallas, Texas Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium 2020
Dallas Xforia Giants Dallas, Texas Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium 2023
Houston Hurricanes Houston, Texas Prairie View Cricket Complex 2020
Lone Star Athletics Austin, Texas Moosa Stadium 2020
Michigan Cricket Stars Detroit, Michigan Lyon Oaks Cricket Ground 2020
St. Louis Americans St. Louis, Missouri ACAC Park 2020
Western East Bay Blazers San Jose, California Morgan Hills Sports Complex 2020
Golden State Grizzlies Sacramento, California Arroyo Park 2020
San Diego Surf Riders San Diego, California Canyonside Park 2020
Seattle Thunderbolts Seattle, Washington Tollgate Farm Park 2020
Silicon Valley Strikers Silicon Valley, California Morgan Hills Sports Complex 2020
SoCal Lashings Los Angeles, California Leo Magnus Cricket Complex 2020
Minor League Cricket is located in the United States
Strikers
Strikers
Lashings
Lashings
Grizzlies
Grizzlies
Surf Riders
Surf Riders
Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts
Athletics
Athletics
Hurricanes
Hurricanes
Stars
Stars
Americans
Americans
Mustangs & Xforia Giants
Mustangs & Xforia Giants
Blasters & Tigers
Blasters & Tigers
Eagles
Eagles
Stallions
Stallions
Cavaliers
Cavaliers
Titans
Titans
Philadelphians
Philadelphians
Royals
Royals
Yorkers
Yorkers
Fire & Lightning
Fire & Lightning
Lions
Lions
Raptors
Raptors
Galaxy
Galaxy
Atlantic Conference: Eastern Division, Southern Division
Pacific Conference: Western Division, Central Division

League structure

Teams in each division will play anywhere from 14 to 16 games in the league stage. Once the league stage is completed, the top two teams in each division will advance to the quarterfinals, wherein the top team in each division will face the second-placed team in the other division of their conference for a best-of-three series. The remaining games will be regular knockout matches, with the semifinals sending one team from each conference to the final.[42] The official schedule and the venues of the playoffs was released on September 20, 2021, by Major League Cricket.[43]

The inaugural season of Minor League Cricket had a total prize pool of $250,000, the highest ever in American cricket.[44] This was increased to $350,000 for the 2022 season, $150,000 of which went to the tournament champions, the Seattle Thunderbolts.[45]

Media

Matches are streamed by Major League Cricket on its YouTube channel and the streaming platform FanCode.[46]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Toyota to Sponsor Inaugural Minor League Cricket Championship Presented by Sling TV - USA Cricket". USA Cricket. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Minor League 2021 Draft to Take Place on Friday". Minor League Cricket. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  3. ^ "2021 Minor League Cricket". Minor League Cricket. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Minor League Cricket Draft Announcement and Latest Update on Plans for 2020". USA Cricket. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  5. ^ Shea, Bill. "Baseball vanquished cricket in the U.S. once, but a new skirmish is afoot". The Athletic. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  6. ^ Hays, Nate (4 June 2021). "Americans ready for Minor League Cricket Draft". Emerging Cricket. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  7. ^ Penna, Peter Della (8 January 2019). "USA formally approved to rejoin ICC as Associate Member under USA Cricket". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  8. ^ Penna, Peter Della (27 November 2018). "USA plan to launch their T20 League in 2021". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  9. ^ "USA Cricket Chooses Partner to Fund and Develop U.S.-Based Professional T20 Cricket League". USA Cricket. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  10. ^ "USA Cricket Board Meeting February 2020". USA Cricket. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  11. ^ Penna, Peter Della (27 February 2020). "New York, Boston, Chicago, LA among 22 targeted launch cities for USA T20 competition". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  12. ^ Penna, Peter Della (21 May 2021). "USA's MLC T20 tournament pushed back to 2023 at AGM". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  13. ^ "USA Cricket re-evaluating Major League Cricket debut timing due to Covid-19 concerns". SportBusiness. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Minor League Cricket Announces Franchise Owners and Draft Update". USA Cricket. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Minor League Cricket Announces Player Registration Opening". USA Cricket. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Inaugural Minor League Cricket Draft to Take Place Today". USA Cricket. 22 August 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Minor League Cricket Draft results with 15 Squads Selected". USA Cricket. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  18. ^ "USA Cricket Launches Foundational Plan". USA Cricket. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  19. ^ "American Cricket History to be Made on Minor League Cricket Opening Weekend". Major League Cricket. USA Cricket. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Unmukt Chand creates history, helped Silicon Valley Strikers to clinch Minor League Cricket title". Mena Report. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  21. ^ "USA Cricket Launches Plan to Shape the Future for Women and Girls in American Cricket". USA Cricket. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  22. ^ Dunmore, Tom (16 February 2021). "Youth Cricketers to benefit from the new pathways created by MLC". Major League Cricket. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  23. ^ "2022 UST Minor League Cricket Youth Tournament Announced". Minor League Cricket. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  24. ^ "Inaugural UST Minor League Cricket Youth Tournament Underway in Houston, TX". MLC Academies. Major League Cricket. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  25. ^ Minor League Cricket [@milcusa] (July 29, 2022). "Watch as the New Jersey Stallions take on the Dallas Mustangs in the @USTglobal MiLC Youth 2022 Finals tomorrow at 9:30am CT in Houston, TX!!!" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 July 2022 – via Twitter.
  26. ^ "UST Emerging Cricketer Scholarships Awarded to Support Next Generation of American Cricket Talent". MLC Academies. Major League Cricket. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Minor League Cricket 2022 Season Opening and Championship Dates Released". USA Cricket. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Seattle Thunderbolts win 2022 Minor League Cricket Championship". The Woodinville Weekly. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  29. ^ Sharma, Premkumar (2 September 2022). "Seattle Thunderbolts Victorious in 2022 Minor League Cricket Championship". News India Times. The Times of India. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  30. ^ "USA's Minor League Cricket Season 2 to start from June 25 | Cricbuzz.com". Cricbuzz. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  31. ^ Peter Della Penna (March 23, 2023). "MLC start under threat after dispute between organisers and USA Cricket". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  32. ^ Patel, Smit (August 4, 2023). "Minor League Cricket Season 3 gets underway after MLC's success". Cricbuzz. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  33. ^ Thynne, Serena (March 31, 2023). "New world-class cricket stadium and training facility to be built in Chicago". KTXL. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  34. ^ "Minor League Cricket Returns for Third Season, Building on Momentum for New Era in American Cricket". Minor League Cricket. August 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  35. ^ Hays, Nate (October 4, 2023). "2023 Minor League Cricket Final: Kenjige, Sheikh lead Mustangs past Cavaliers". Emerging Cricket. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  36. ^ "2023 Minor League Cricket Season to be Played Exclusively on Natural Turf and H3 Hybrid Wickets". Minor League Cricket. October 20, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  37. ^ Attfield, Paul (June 22, 2023). "Minor League Cricket announces plans for Canadian expansion". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  38. ^ Lypka, Ben (July 21, 2023). "Minor League Cricket considering expansion into British Columbia". The Northern View. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  39. ^ "Minor League Cricket Announces Franchise Owners and Draft Update". USA Cricket. 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  40. ^ "3 New Teams Confirmed For Minor League Cricket Ahead Of Draft Day Friday June 4". Minor League Cricket. USA Cricket. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  41. ^ "Minor League Cricket 2021 Teams". Major League Cricket. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  42. ^ "Minor League Cricket: T20 league in USA kicks off with Sami Aslam, Corey Anderson in the mix". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  43. ^ "Teams and Venues Set for Inaugural Minor League Cricket Playoffs". Major League Cricket. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  44. ^ Raju-Singh, Hijam (8 July 2021). "Minor League Cricket unveils Toyota as sponsors of inaugural Championship; 27 teams will vie for $250,000 in prize money". Times of India. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  45. ^ "ENHANCED STREAMING PLANS AND PRIZE MONEY ANNOUNCED FOR 2022 MILC SEASON". Major League Cricket. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  46. ^ Maqsood, Zofeen (20 September 2021). "Cricket is on a fast track in America: Tom Dunmore". American Bazaar. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
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