MI New York appoint Kieron Pollard as skipper for inaugural MLC 2023; check full squad

MI New York have signed their four IPL stars, including Kieron Pollard as their captain, for the inaugural season of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023. The others are Tim David, Dewald Brevis and Jason Behrendorff.

They have also roped in the services of Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, David Wiese, Nicholas Pooran, and Kagiso Rabada to build a strong squad for the tournament.

The former West Indies captain Pollard will bring the experience of playing 625 T20s, where he amassed 12175 runs and scalped 312 wickets. He has played in numerous T20 leagues around the world, including Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League, The Hundred, Pakistan Super League, and Bangladesh Premier League to name a few.

The Mumbai Indians’ sister franchise has appointed Robbie Peterson as its head coach. MI New York have also roped in former Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga as their bowling coach, while J Arun Kumar and James Pamment will serve as their batting and fielding coaches, respectively.

All these players, barring Wiese, also play across multiple MI Teams – Mumbai Indians, MI Cape Town, and MI Emirates to form a strong core, globally.

Speaking about the squad, the owner of Mumbai Indians, Akash Ambani said:

“We are thrilled to unveil team MI New York in the upcoming Major League Cricket season. Stalwart Pollard is leading the team which has international superstars Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, and Kagiso Rabada. It is an extraordinary line-up of youth, experience, and power. Further, we have exciting talent in the form of Tim David and Brevis, while Jason Behrendorff and David Wiese are proven performers."

He continued:

"Combined with the exceptional skills of our local US players, we are confident that MI New York will raise the bar of competition in the cricket ecosystem of the US. We are dedicated to providing our fans with the quintessential MI brand of cricket.”

MI New York drafted players: Steven Taylor, Hammad Azam, Ehsan Adil, Nosthush Kenjiye, Monank Patel, Sarbjeet Ladda, Shayan Jahangir, Kyle Phillip, Saideep Ganesh.

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MI New York to face off against San Francisco Unicorns in their MLC 2023 opener

MI New York will lock horns with San Francisco Unicorns in their Major League Cricket opener on July 14. It’s the third franchise in MLC with its roots in the IPL, others being Texas Super Kings and Los Angeles Knight Riders.

As far as the rules are concerned, a maximum of six players are permitted in the playing XI in MLC 2023, with five domestic players set to feature in every game.

The tournament will be played at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas (first week) before moving on to Church Street Park in Morrisville (second week).

The playoffs will be held on July 27 (double-header) and July 28 while the final will be played on July 30. All four games will be held in Texas.