Texas Super Kings
Seattle Orcas
Los Angeles Knight Riders
San Francisco Unicorns
Seattle Orcas
Washington Freedom
Texas Super Kings
San Francisco Unicorns
Washington Freedom
MI New York
Seattle Orcas
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Texas Super Kings
MI New York
San Francisco Unicorns
Texas Super Kings
Washington Freedom
Seattle Orcas
MI New York
Texas Super Kings
San Francisco Unicorns
Seattle Orcas
MI New York
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Washington Freedom
Texas Super Kings
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Seattle Orcas
San Francisco Unicorns
Washington Freedom
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Washington Freedom
Seattle Orcas
MI New York
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Texas Super Kings
Washington Freedom
San Francisco Unicorns
Los Angeles Knight Riders
MI New York
Seattle Orcas
Texas Super Kings
San Francisco Unicorns
MI New York
MI New York
San Francisco Unicorns
Washington Freedom
Los Angeles Knight Riders
MI New York
Seattle Orcas
San Francisco Unicorns
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Texas Super Kings
Washington Freedom
Seattle Orcas
San Francisco Unicorns
MI New York
Washington Freedom
Texas Super Kings
Los Angeles Knight Riders
The fourth season of Major League Cricket runs from June 18 to July 18, and the same six teams that fought it out last year are back for another go. Thirty-four matches, one trophy, and MI New York walking in as champions after squeezing past Washington Freedom by five runs in last year’s final. The off-season belonged to Ravichandran Ashwin, who joined the San Francisco Unicorns and became the first India-capped player ever to turn out in the league.
The Los Angeles Knight Riders have a new home of their own in Pomona, too. The MLC 2026 schedule, the teams, the captains, the venues, the points table and the full winners list are all laid out below.
Major League Cricket 2026 Schedule Overview
The fourth season of Major League Cricket runs from June 18 to July 18, and the same six teams that fought it out last year are back for another go. Thirty-four matches, one trophy, and MI New York walking in as champions after squeezing past Washington Freedom by five runs in last year’s final. The off-season belonged to Ravichandran Ashwin, who joined the San Francisco Unicorns and became the first India-capped player ever to turn out in the league.
The Los Angeles Knight Riders have a new home of their own in Pomona, too. The MLC 2026 schedule, the teams, the captains, the venues, the points table and the full winners list are all laid out below.
Major League Cricket 2026 Schedule
MLC confirmed the 2026 schedule on March 20, and the shape of it is familiar. It is a double round-robin, so all six sides play each other twice in the league stage. That gives every team 10 games, split evenly between home and away, and 30 league matches in all. Add the four playoff games at the end and the season lands on 34 matches.
The opener is Texas Super Kings against the Seattle Orcas on June 18 at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. MI New York will wait a couple of days before starting their defence against Washington Freedom. The first week stays in Texas, then the league heads west to California, first to the Oakland Coliseum and then to the brand new Knight Riders ground in Pomona once July arrives. Grand Prairie gets the closing league games before the tournament loops back to Oakland for the knockouts. The final is on July 18 at the Oakland Coliseum, which has never staged an MLC decider until now.
The playoff route will look familiar to anyone who follows the IPL. The top two meet in Qualifier 1, and the winner books a place in the final while the loser drops into the Challenger for a second shot. Third plays fourth in the Eliminator, and that winner takes on the Qualifier 1 loser for the last final spot. It rewards the sides that finish high, but it does not bury anyone too early. MI New York are the obvious example. They came fourth in the league last year and still ended up lifting the trophy.
Major League Cricket 2026 Schedule
TEXAS SUPER KINGS
SEATTLE ORCAS
Match starts at 06:00
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS
SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS
Match starts at 02:00
SEATTLE ORCAS
WASHINGTON FREEDOM
Match starts at 06:00
TEXAS SUPER KINGS
SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS
Match starts at 02:00
WASHINGTON FREEDOM
MI NEW YORK
Match starts at 06:00
SEATTLE ORCAS
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS
Match starts at 02:00
TEXAS SUPER KINGS
MI NEW YORK
Match starts at 06:00
SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS
TEXAS SUPER KINGS
Match starts at 07:00
WASHINGTON FREEDOM
SEATTLE ORCAS
Match starts at 07:00
MI NEW YORK
TEXAS SUPER KINGS
Match starts at 03:00
SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS
SEATTLE ORCAS
Match starts at 07:00
MI NEW YORK
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS
Match starts at 03:00
WASHINGTON FREEDOM
TEXAS SUPER KINGS
Match starts at 07:00
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS
SEATTLE ORCAS
Match starts at 03:00
SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS
WASHINGTON FREEDOM
Match starts at 07:00
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS
WASHINGTON FREEDOM
Match starts at 07:00
SEATTLE ORCAS
MI NEW YORK
Match starts at 07:00
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS
TEXAS SUPER KINGS
Match starts at 07:00
WASHINGTON FREEDOM
SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS
Match starts at 03:00
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS
MI NEW YORK
Match starts at 07:00
SEATTLE ORCAS
TEXAS SUPER KINGS
Match starts at 03:00
SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS
MI NEW YORK
Match starts at 07:00
MI NEW YORK
SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS
Match starts at 06:00
WASHINGTON FREEDOM
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS
Match starts at 06:00
MI NEW YORK
SEATTLE ORCAS
Match starts at 02:00
SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS
Match starts at 06:00
TEXAS SUPER KINGS
WASHINGTON FREEDOM
Match starts at 02:00
SEATTLE ORCAS
SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS
Match starts at 06:00
MI NEW YORK
WASHINGTON FREEDOM
Match starts at 02:00
TEXAS SUPER KINGS
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS
Match starts at 06:00
MLC 2026 Points Table
The MLC 2026 points table starts filling up with the first ball on June 18. Until results land there is nothing real to show, so rather than print placeholder numbers we will update the standings here as the games are played.
Major League Cricket
MLC 2026 Squads
Major League Cricket
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MLC 2026 Teams List
Every one of the MLC 2026 teams is a returning side, and four of the six are tied to IPL ownership groups, which goes a long way toward explaining the quality of the squads on show.
MI New York
MI New York have won two of the three titles played so far, and their knack for switching on in the knockouts is the thing rival coaches lose sleep over. Owned by Indiawin Sports, the same Reliance stable that runs the Mumbai Indians, they put Nicholas Pooran in charge of a group that still leans on Trent Boult and Kieron Pollard, with USA stalwart Monank Patel and young quick Rushil Ugarkar anchoring the home talent.
Texas Super Kings
Texas Super Kings carry a different kind of pressure. Three seasons in, three playoff runs, and still no title to show for it. Faf du Plessis is back at the top of the order under coach Stephen Fleming, and the franchise has loaded up on South African experience this time with Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder and Nandre Burger joining the core. The Chennai Super Kings link is no accident, and so is the hunger to finally close one out.
Washington Freedom
Washington Freedom know what winning feels like, having taken the 2024 title before falling at the last in 2025. The big news is that Steve Smith is returning to lead them after a year away, reunited with coach Ricky Ponting. Around the marquee names, they have built a genuine domestic spine in Andries Gous and Saurabh Netravalkar.
San Francisco Unicorns
San Francisco Unicorns made the move in the winter. Ashwin’s signature gave the franchise its biggest headline yet, and he slots into a side that kept Finn Allen and Haris Rauf and is captained by Matt Short under coach Cameron White. They went all the way to the final in 2024, so the platform is already there.
Seattle Orcas
Seattle Orcas hit the reset button after a rough year that brought only three wins from ten. Adam Voges arrives as head coach and Marcus Stoinis takes the captaincy, a clean break at the top. The franchise has serious backing too, with Microsoft chief Satya Nadella among the lead investors and the GMR Group, co-owners of Delhi Capitals, behind the project.
Los Angeles Knight Riders
That leaves the Los Angeles Knight Riders, the side with the most to prove. Three seasons, no playoff appearance, and a fanbase still waiting. Jason Holder stays on as captain, Dwayne Bravo comes in to coach, and the franchise finally has a ground to call its own in Pomona, the first dedicated home venue any MLC team has had.
MLC 2026 Venues & Stadiums
Three grounds carry the 2026 season, and one of them is hosting MLC cricket for the first time.
Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas is where it all kicks off, and it has been the league’s anchor since the very first ball back in 2023. It holds about 7,200 and can stretch to roughly 15,000 for the bigger nights. This year it takes the opening week and the back end of the league stage, and it has hosted every MLC final played so far.
The Oakland Coliseum in California shoulders the most games this season and steps up to host the playoffs for the first time, the whole knockout set including the July 18 final. It is the most meaningful change to the MLC map in the league’s short life.
Then there is the new one. The Knight Riders Cricket Field at Fairplex in Pomona, California, was unveiled as the home of the LA franchise, the first time any MLC side has had a ground of its own. It joins the rotation at the start of July and takes the place Florida’s Broward County Stadium held in earlier seasons.
Major League Cricket 2026 Captains
Only one franchise changed its leader this year, with Seattle the lone side handing over the armband. These are the confirmed major league cricket captains for 2026.
| Team | Captain | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|
| MI New York | Nicholas Pooran | Mark Boucher |
| Texas Super Kings | Faf du Plessis | Stephen Fleming |
| Washington Freedom | Steven Smith | Ricky Ponting |
| San Francisco Unicorns | Matt Short | Cameron White |
| Seattle Orcas | Marcus Stoinis | Adam Voges |
| Los Angeles Knight Riders | Jason Holder | Dwayne Bravo |
MLC 2026 Venues & Stadiums
Three grounds carry the 2026 season, and one of them is hosting MLC cricket for the first time.
Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas is where it all kicks off, and it has been the league’s anchor since the very first ball back in 2023. It holds about 7,200 and can stretch to roughly 15,000 for the bigger nights. This year it takes the opening week and the back end of the league stage, and it has hosted every MLC final played so far.
The Oakland Coliseum in California shoulders the most games this season and steps up to host the playoffs for the first time, the whole knockout set including the July 18 final. It is the most meaningful change to the MLC map in the league’s short life.
Then there is the new one. The Knight Riders Cricket Field at Fairplex in Pomona, California, was unveiled as the home of the LA franchise, the first time any MLC side has had a ground of its own. It joins the rotation at the start of July and takes the place Florida’s Broward County Stadium held in earlier seasons.
Major League Cricket Winners List
Only two franchises have got their hands on the MLC trophy so far, and the major league cricket winners list makes the pecking order plain. MI New York have two titles, Washington Freedom have one along with a pair of runner-up finishes.
MI New York announced themselves in the 2023 final, where Nicholas Pooran’s unbeaten 137 from 55 balls more or less settled it on its own. The 2025 final went down to the wire, MI New York holding their nerve to win by five runs at Grand Prairie. The interesting part of 2026 is whether anyone can finally crack a title race that two teams have kept to themselves.
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Final Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | MI New York | Seattle Orcas | Grand Prairie Stadium |
| 2024 | Washington Freedom | San Francisco Unicorns | Grand Prairie Stadium |
| 2025 | MI New York | Washington Freedom | Grand Prairie Stadium |
MLC 2026 FAQs
In India, Star Sports carries MLC 2026 on television, and JioHotstar handles the live streaming. Since every game is played in US time zones, most matches land late evening or overnight India time.
The league is owned and run by American Cricket Enterprises, known as ACE, and it operates with the sanction of USA Cricket. Separate investor groups own six city franchises.
Not the same organisation, but the financial links run deep. Four of the six MLC 2026 franchises are owned by IPL ownership groups: MI New York by the Mumbai Indians stable, Texas Super Kings by Chennai Super Kings, the LA Knight Riders by the Kolkata Knight Riders group, and the Seattle Orcas by GMR, who co-own Delhi Capitals.
BCCI rules stop active Indian cricketers, capped or uncapped, from playing in overseas franchise leagues while they are still registered with the board. A player only becomes eligible once he has retired from Indian cricket entirely. That is why R Ashwin can feature for the San Francisco Unicorns in 2026.
Only two franchises have won it so far. MI New York took the inaugural 2023 title and won again in 2025, while Washington Freedom lifted the trophy in 2024.
