A new revolution in the world of sports in America: cricket has opened doors worth billions of dollars. Indian investors have revived cricket in the USA after 100 years. Leading Indians from major companies worldwide have established Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA, with most of the 20 investors being Indian-origin Americans.
The direct benefit of these billions of dollars will go to India, where cricket already holds the status of an industry. The opening of American doors will further strengthen it. Broadcasting rights for cricket in the USA will also be sold for billions of dollars, with strong advertising companies leading the charge.
Indian players, whose lifestyles are already affluent, will now be showered with dollars. In the future, new Indian players entering American cricket will also benefit greatly. The new generation will see it as a career, and parents will get their children coached. In the recent T20 World Cup, the American cricket team captain Monank Patel and four other players were of Indian origin, including Harmeet Singh, Nisarg Patel, Milind Kumar, and Saurabh Netravalkar. Eight Indian-origin players participated in the first season, while five Indian-origin players are participating in the current second season.
According to the regulations of the Indian cricket board, first-class cricketers cannot participate in any league outside India. In the first season of Major League Cricket in 2023, ten players from Pakistan, including Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, and Imad Wasim, participated. In the ongoing second season of Major League Cricket in 2024, twelve Pakistani-origin players are participating, with three Pakistani players, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, and Zaman Khan, having been issued NOCs.
According to reports from American media like Forbes, Fox Sports, and Indian media like Times of India, Times Now, NDTV, Indian Express, and others, Indian-origin tech experts working for major global companies founded Major League Cricket. Some big names from Silicon Valley invested millions of dollars in it. Cricket is the fifth most popular sport in the USA.
Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan founded Major League Cricket in January 2019, also being the founders of Willow TV, the largest cricket broadcaster in North America. The league has investments from the Times Group of India and tech company CEOs like Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, along with Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Rocketship Venture Capital founders Anand Rajaraman, Venky Harinarayan, and Madrona Venture Group Managing Director S. Soma Segar.
Out of six Major League Cricket franchises, four are owned by Indians, with three owners also owning IPL teams. MI New York is owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, who also owns Mumbai Indians. Los Angeles Knight Riders and Texas Super Kings are owned by Kolkata Knight Riders, co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan. Seattle Orcas is co-owned by Satya Nadella, who has invested $120 million (33.42 billion rupees) in Major League Cricket. Other team owners include Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan of San Francisco Unicorns, GMR Group, Satya Nadella, S. Soma Segar of Seattle Orcas, Anurag Jain, Ross Perot Jr. of Texas Super Kings, and Sanjay Govil of Washington Freedom. According to the Indian Express, the number, wealth, and influence of Indian immigrants brought cricket to the USA. By 1859, cricket was played in at least 22 American states, in over 125 cities and towns, with 1,000 clubs.
According to American media, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s Knight Riders Group has invested $30 million (8.36 billion rupees) in a cricket stadium on 15 acres near Los Angeles. The Indian Premier League is valued at $10.7 billion. USA Cricket aims to become a full member of the ICC by 2030. According to Forbes, the recent cricket tournament in the USA was one of the world’s major sports events, covered prominently by media outlets like the New York Times, CNN, and Washington Post. The second season of Major League is ongoing. The first season exceeded revenue targets of $8 million. According to Fox Sports, the T20 World Cup opened the eyes of the American public.
America, where cricket had been trying to find a place for more than a century, hosted 16 group stage matches of the tournament last month. Americans had never thought of watching this sport before. The surprising victory of the USA against Pakistan in Dallas received a lot of publicity, even attracting the attention of the White House. National Security Advisor John Kirby congratulated the American team for qualifying for the Super Eight stage, while US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted about the incredible success against Pakistan.