The fourth season of the six-team Major League Cricket (MLC) will kick off this week in Dallas. It's the first major T20 league since the end of IPL 2026. Here's everything you need to know about MLC 2026.
When does it start?
The new season will begin on June 18, with Texas Super Kings facing Seattle Orcas at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. The venue is located just around 15 kilometres from Dallas Stadium, which is among the hosts for the ongoing football World Cup.
The Grand Prairie Stadium will stage the first seven games of the competition before the group-stage action shifts to the Oakland Coliseum in California and then to the Knight Riders cricket field in Pomona, also in California, at the start of July. The Grand Prairie Stadium will also host the final leg of the group stage while the Oakland Coliseum will stage the knockouts, including the final on July 18.
Knight Riders cricket field? New venue?
Yep. It's the home base for Los Angeles Knight Riders and in all the new venue will host seven games this season. It is also set to be used for the 2028 Olympic Games, which will be hosted in Los Angeles. In April earlier this year, ICC's chief executive Sanjog Gupta called the venue "cricket's home for LA28."
So who are the teams?
The six teams are Washington Freedom, San Francisco Unicorns, MI New York, Los Angeles Knight Riders, Texas Super Kings and Seattle Orcas. Three of these teams are owned by IPL franchises. Apart from the three obvious ones, Orcas are owned by the GMR group, who co-own Delhi Capitals.
MINY are the defending champions, having scripted a remarkable come-from-behind title win in 2025 after winning just one of their first seven matches.
The Ashwin factor
R Ashwin, who will represent Unicorns, is arguably the biggest draw in this MLC season. The spinner is set to become the first former India international to feature in the competition. The MLC will also mark Ashwin's first foray into franchise T20 cricket outside of the IPL following his international retirement in December 2024 and then from the IPL at the end of the 2025 season.
Ashwin signed up with Sydney Thunder for the 2025-26 Big Bash League, but was eventually ruled out with a serious knee injury that required surgery. Ashwin said on his YouTube channel that his body was feeling ginger in the lead-up to the tournament.
Ashwin's last competitive game was the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) final in July 2025. He has already had a taste of cricket at the Grand Prairie Stadium in the USA, though, having featured in the battle of bats, an exhibition game in March earlier this year.
What else is new?
Some of the new is old. Steven Smith takes over from Glenn Maxwell as Freedom's captain after missing the previous season due to international commitments. He had led Freedom to the title in 2024. Since the start of that season, he has hit 1325 runs in 36 innings at an average of nearly 45 and strike rate of over 155, enjoying a second wind in T20 cricket. Smith will reunite with coach Ricky Ponting at Freedom.
Meanwhile, Matt Short (Unicorns), Faf du Plessis (TSK), Nicholas Pooran (MINY) and Jason Holder (LAKR) have all been retained as captains for the forthcoming season. Orcas have a double-change at the top: new captain Marcus Stoinis will work with new coach Adam Voges. Orcas have hit the revamp button after managing just three wins in ten games in the previous season.
Australia's teenage sensation Ollie Peake (Unicorns), New Zealand's hard-hitting opener Tim Robinson (Orcas), Afghanistan mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar (MINY) and 41-year-old Peter Siddle (also Unicorns) are set for their MLC debuts.
Give me a brief rundown of key players to watch
Both Kieron Pollard (MINY) and Andre Russell (LAKR) have retired from the IPL, but they continue to be must-see players in other T20 competitions. Pollard, by the way, is just 81 runs away from surpassing Chris Gayle as the all-time top run-getter in T20 cricket. Alex Hales, who will turn out for LAKR, is also hot on Gayle's heels. Then, there's Pollard's MINY team-mate and captain Pooran, who will be looking to hit form after a horror IPL season with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Don't forget Finn Allen, who bashed the fastest T20 World Cup century, off 33 balls, and also has hundreds in the IPL and MLC. Allen has been retained by Unicorns for MLC 2026.
What about the USA players?
Andries Gous is the most high-profile USA player on the franchise circuit, having featured in the PSL, CPL and in the ILT20, where he holds the record for the highest individual score. Thanks to T20 stints around the world, Gous has expanded his range so much that he now has shots behind the wicket too.
Freedom's Saurabh Netravalkar should also be on your watchlist. The left-arm seamer is the highest wicket-taker among USA players in the MLC, with 34 strikes in 24 innings, and second-highest overall behind Trent Boult.
Also, watch out for TSK's Sai Mukkamalla and Unicorns' Sanjay Krishnamurthi. The two youngsters will be on the big stage once again after making a splash during the T20 World Cup.
What's the format of the league?
Like most franchise leagues, the MLC will first have a round-robin league stage. The top two teams will meet in the Qualifier, with the winners of that match advancing to the final. The third and fourth-placed teams will meet in the Eliminator. The winner of the first Eliminator will face the team that loses the Qualifier in the second Eliminator, where the second finalist will be decided.
Does it clash with any other T20 competition(s)?
Of course. It will overlap with the T20 Blast in England, but has avoided a clash with the Hundred once again. The Lanka Premier League (LPL) will kick off on July 17, a day before the MLC final. The MLC will kick off four days after the end of the inaugural EUT20 Belgium in Zemst.