Major League Cricket (MLC) finally got underway in the United States last week after several false starts, fuelling hopes that the sport is poised to break new ground in a huge new market on the back of the popular Twenty20 format.

Major League Cricket: The sport is poised to break new ground in a huge new market

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Five years after USA Cricket shared its plans to launch a domestic T20 tournament, the inaugural edition of the MLC kicked off having assembled an impressive array of investors.

Four of its six franchises are owned by business entities that also own teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the money-spinning standard bearer of franchise cricket.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is co-owner of the MLC’s Seattle franchise

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is co-owner of the MLC’s Seattle franchise, while Washington and San Francisco franchises have strategic partnerships with the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria.

While franchise-based competitions are springing up all around the world, Tom Dunmore, MLC’s marketing vice president, said the U.S. competition cannot be dismissed as “just another T20 league”.

“We’re building stadiums and youth academies. We’re building training centers and bringing in coaches and players,” he told Reuters from Dallas.

Those (coaches and players) will be available for the USA national teams as well

“It’s not really like other T20 leagues that are using existing facilities in cricket-mad countries.”

While cricket remains a niche sport in the U.S. it has been around for a long time in the country. The first international cricket match took place in New York in 1844 with the United States taking on Canada.

The MLC could be cricket’s vehicle to break into a sporting landscape dominated by baseball, basketball, and American football, said Dunmore.

“We’re cracking a new market for the sport,” he added.

“Cricket hasn’t really broken into a major new market for some time. So this is a chance not only to do that but to do it in the world’s biggest commercial market.”

Dunmore said cricket’s existing fan base in the U.S. made it the sport’s fifth-largest market.

Read more: Waqar Younis: PAK legend’s big claim on matches vs India ahead of Asia Cup

Success on the global stage would help boost cricket’s profile

Success on the global stage would help boost cricket’s profile in the United States, and while there has been no big breakthrough as yet Pollard said they are getting closer.

A U.S. team featuring players mostly of Indian origin made it to the 50-overs World Cup qualifiers in June. But failed to make the cut for the main tournament in India later this year.

But the experience of rubbing shoulders with the likes of former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and England international Jason Roy would stand them in good stead, Pollard said.

“It augurs well for USA cricket, and hopefully the young talent that is there in America can use this opportunity to grow into better international cricketers,” he added.

Co-hosting the T20 World Cup next year. West Indies will also give the game a boost in the United States.

ICC is lobbying for the game’s Olympic inclusion

The launch of the MLC assumes even more importance coming at a time when the International Cricket Council (ICC) is lobbying for the game’s Olympic inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Dunmore said the MLC was providing cricket much-needed visibility. As the game bids to return to the Olympics for the first time since 1900.

“The crowds and the excitement, the buzz, the media attention both in the US and globally. Now that’s truly helpful,” he added.

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice acknowledged the buzz MLC has created in the United States.

“There are a number of developments in the U.S. that are helping to raise awareness of the game. The start of the MLC is one of them. They draw a lot of attention to the sport,” Allardice said last week.

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Big money, big names: Major League Cricket looks to crack the US market