The inaugural season kicks off this week in Grand Prairie, some 20-ish minutes outside of Dallas. Here’s the quick guide to the newest home team.
baseball game may be America ’s home pastime , but globally its popularity does n’t come close to cricket . The other — and much older — plot with bats and ball has origins dating back to the 16th century , and estimates put its fanbase at more than 2.5 billion people , 2d only to soccer . Major League Cricketdebuts July 13 in Dallas , er , Grand Prairie technically . With this newly formed US pro league , fans in North Texas and around the commonwealth will have a chance to cheer on local team in person .
The new league features six team , including theTexas Super Kings , which will act its games in Grand Prairie . Other squad are based in Los Angeles , New York , San Francisco , Seattle , and Washington DC .
“ The Dallas area has one of the largest grouping of cricket fans in the country , with hundreds of thousands of expats from area such as India and Pakistan in the arena who love the secret plan , ” says Tom Dumore , VP of Marketing for Major League Cricket .
Grand Prairie Stadium, home of the Texas Super Kings roster.|Courtesy Major League Cricket.
All match take on the Twenty20 ( or “ T20 ” ) data format , which is a shortened version of the traditional biz that was introduce professionally about two decades ago .
Here ’s what you require to get laid .
First, a (very brief) primer on cricket
“ Cricket dates back to the 16th century , and sometimes the perception of it in the general universe in the US is that it ’s a stuffy plot for British hands in top chapeau , but nothing could be further from the verity , ” say Dunmore . The T20 format , especially , is fuck for its tight - pace play , big hit , music , and fireworks . match time in around two and a half hour , and the ball ’s in play a lot more than in baseball game , where abundant strikeouts can keep fans wait multiple frame for action . For more on the principle , check out thishelpful explainer from Vox .
Meet the Texas Super Kings
Earlier this year , MLC hosted a selective service that allow each team to choose nine domestic player — most cull from the Minor League Cricket tour — and round out their rosters with international sign language . Captain Faf du Plessis hail from South Africa and has enjoyed a successful vocation there as well as in the Amerind Premier League ( IPL ) .
The Super king are coached by Stephen Fleming , a former senior pilot of New Zealand ’s national cricket team and the current head passenger vehicle of IPL team the Chennai Super Riley B King . That ’s not just a co-occurrence . The Texas team is co - owned by the Chennai Super Kings along with Ross Perot Jr. and businessman Anurag Jain .
The first season is a quick one
The inaugural time of year is more like a tournament , with 19 matches played July 13 through July 30 , when the championship takes situation in Grand Prairie . Dunmore explains that next year is probable to draft a standardised format , specially as the T20 Men ’s Cricket World Cup will also host games in the US . But as the league grow and sports stadium are built in the home cities for each squad , we can expect the time of year to expand in length and matches to pass off in more securities industry .
How to watch Major League Cricket in Dallas
The Super big businessman have taken over the old AirHogs baseball stadium in Grand Prairie , freshen up the quad to suit 7,000 lover and a professional cricket tar . The majority of games will be bet in Grand Prairie this time of year , with additional game held at a dedicated cricket rake in Morrisville , North Carolina , outdoors of Raleigh .
The first match is Thursday , July 13 , when the Texas Super Kings take on the Los Angeles Knight Riders .
If you ca n’t attend in person , no worries , match will also be available to watch on goggle box . Live matches will be picture on Willow TV , a dedicated cricket channel , and available to stream on Sling TV .
“ There ’s a grounds the IPL now rivals the NFL and the English Premier League for spiritualist rights taxation , ” adds Dunmore . “ It ’s a fantastic experience to determine live on TV or in person . ”
