Stephen Fleming (Photo: Twitter)
The preparation for the inaugural edition of the Major League Cricket is in full swing as one of the franchises of the tournament, Texas, announced their team’s name, coaching staff and other details on March 20, Monday. The team, owned popular Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings, will be called Texas Super Kings.
The partnership between the two franchises will see them sharing coaches and support staff while playing in two different leagues in two countries. According to the deal, Texas will be coached by the legendary New Zealand Cricketer Stephen Fleming, who is the coach of CSK.
Fleming was delighted with the opportunity of working with the team in America and expressed his pleasure at the introductory event.
“There’s been a lot of talk about international cricket coming to America. It’s coming together at the right time,” Fleming was quoted as saying by Axios Dallas.
Hill Perot, one of the investors in Texas Super Kings, said that he is positive about the growth of cricket in the country. He compared the sport with the success of ice hockey, which was not expected to be loved by the fans in the city but has become a popular game in the country.
If ice hockey can work in Texas, cricket can work in Texas, too: Hill Perot
“When I look at the last 25-30 years of Texas sports history, nobody thought ice hockey would work in Texas. If ice hockey can work in Texas, cricket can work in Texas, too,” said Perot, Ross Perot’s grandson, one of the investors in the Texas Super Kings.
Major League Cricket,is a T20 league being started with the aim to popularize cricket in US. The tournament will feature six teams representing Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., and Texas.
The first season of the competition is likely to start in July 2023, with all the matches to be played at Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas, near Dallas across three weeks.
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