Photo Credit: SA20 League
The T20 franchise global rodeo is set to break new ground next month when it heads to the Wild Wild West.
Major League Cricket (MLC), which is run by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) and sanctioned by USA Cricket, will get underway on July 13, with six city-based franchises participating. The first season is set to take place at Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina.
Betway SA20 will have a major presence at the tournament with two of its sister teams forming part of the roster. The Texas Super Kings (affiliated to the Joburg Super Kings) and MI New York (affiliated to MI Cape Town) will be part of the inaugural competition that also includes the Los Angeles Knight Riders, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas and Washington Freedom.
There will also be a large contingent of Betway SA20 players and coaching staff present at the three-week tournament.
Apart from the Betway SA20 overseas stars, there will be 12 leading South African Betway SA20 players participating at MLC.
The Texas Super Kings will be led by JSK captain Faf du Plessis and they will be hoping his rich run of form that started back in the Betway SA20 and all through the IPL will continue in the US.
Du Plessis will be joined by fellow Super Kings fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, who has been equally in red-hot form on the recent South Africa A tour of Sri Lanka, at Texas Super Kings.
Paarl Royals captain David Miller will also be swapping pink for yellow at MLC as he joins Du Plessis and Coetzee at TSK.
MI New York once again boast some of the finest talent in the world with MI Cape Town’s Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan back in the blue alongside his MI Cape Town teammates Kagiso Rabada and Dewald Brevis. MI New York’s head coach will also be former Proteas all-rounder and MI Cape Town General Manager Robin Peterson.
The Seatlle Orcas will have a strong Durban’s Super Giants presence with Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen part of the roster alongside Pretoria Capitals captain Wayne Parnell.
The Washington Freedom have opted for the all-out pace of Capitals Express Anrich Nortje and Sunrisers Eastern Cape all-rounder Marco Jansen, while the LA Knight Riders boast the explosive hitting ability of Pretoria Capitals southpaw Rilee Rossouw.
Paarl Royals seamer Lungi Ngidi completes the line-up at the San Francisco Unicorns.
Full list of Betway SA20 players at MLC
- Washington Freedom: Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen
- Seattle Orcas: Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, Wayne Parnell
- Los Angeles Knight Riders: Rilee Rossouw, Jason Roy (international)
- MI New York: Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Rashid Khan (international), Tim David (international)
- San Francisco Unicorns: Lungi Ngidi
- Texas Super Kings: Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Gerald Coetzee
Name of Author: SA20 League
SA20, officially known as the Betway SA20 for sponsorship reasons, is a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa organized by Cricket South Africa (CSA). First held in the 2023 season, the league features six city-based teams. Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the first two editions of the tournament.
