Major League Cricket 2026 (USA): Schedule, Teams, Where to Watch

Major League Cricket returns for its fourth season this summer with one structural change that matters more than the rest: the league has expanded out of Texas into California's Pomona and the Bay Area's Oakland Coliseum. For three seasons MLC was effectively a Grand Prairie residency with a few rotating co-host fixtures. The 2026 edition is the first time the league looks like a genuine multi-region T20 competition.

This is the fan-and-watch guide — schedule, the six franchises, the marquee international signings to track, the venue picture, the India broadcast deal, and what is actually at stake for USA cricket as MLC's fourth season unfolds. For our existing tournament hub with squads and Indian-American owner detail, see our MLC 2026 schedule, teams and squads page. This piece is the lighter watch-guide companion.

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Tournament window and headline numbers

• Window: Thursday 18 June to Saturday 18 July 2026
• Format: 34 matches — 30 round-robin + 4 playoffs (Eliminator, Qualifier 1, Qualifier 2, Final)
• Teams: six (per the Wikipedia 2026 MLC season page)
• Final: 18 July 2026 at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California
• Defending champions: Washington Freedom (2025)
• USA broadcaster: Willow TV / Cricbuzz
• India broadcaster: JioHotstar (multi-year rights extension confirmed late 2025)

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The six franchises

1. Washington Freedom — defending champions; Sanjay Govil ownership; powered by a Travis Head / Saurabh Netravalkar core in 2025.
2. MI New York — Reliance / Mumbai Indians family; Pooran / Rabada / Robin Singh-coached.
3. LA Knight Riders — KKR-affiliated; Shah Rukh Khan-linked ownership; Sunil Narine plus a deep West Indian core.
4. Texas Super Kings — CSK-affiliated; the Faf du Plessis era continuing.
5. San Francisco Unicorns — Anand Rajaraman / Venky Harinarayan ownership; Matt Short / Pat Cummins where Test schedule allows.
6. Seattle Orcas — Microsoft-linked owner group; Heinrich Klaasen-led 2024 surge as the recent benchmark.

Per the USA Cricketers MLC 2026 schedule release, each franchise plays 10 round-robin matches before the four-team playoff stage.

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Venues — three grounds, three personalities

MLC 2026 is being played at three grounds, each with a different cricketing identity:

Grand Prairie Stadium (Texas)

The original MLC home, built specifically for cricket inside a dual-use stadium structure. Hosts a smaller chunk of the 2026 schedule than in seasons one and two — the league has rebalanced fixtures across the new venues. Pitch character: medium-paced, supports both wrist-spin and seam-up.

Oakland Coliseum (California)

The headline 2026 addition. The Oakland Coliseum hosts 23 matches plus the entire playoff phase, including the final on 18 July 2026. Pitch character: still being calibrated — the conversion of the surface from baseball/American-football conditioning to a true cricket surface has been the off-season project. Per ESPNcricinfo's MLC 2026 schedule fixtures, the Coliseum is the centre of gravity for this edition.

Knight Riders Cricket Field (Pomona, California)

The brand-new venue debuting in 2026. Owned by the Shah Rukh Khan-linked Knight Riders group, built to host LA Knight Riders home fixtures. A smaller-capacity ground than Oakland but a purpose-built cricket venue end-to-end.

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Marquee internationals to watch

A few names will define the league this summer:

• Nicholas Pooran (MI New York) — the league's most consistent T20 batter across three seasons.
• Travis Head (Washington Freedom) — Australian Test opener; in 2025 his powerplay strike-rate was a league-leader.
• Sunil Narine (LA Knight Riders) — the death-and-spin double-up; near-impossible to economy-bowl through.
• Kagiso Rabada (MI New York) — when the South African Test schedule allows.
• Matt Short (San Francisco Unicorns) — the BBL-into-MLC pipeline player; T20 captaincy for Australia possible.
• Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings) — captain, anchor, and the league's longest-serving overseas presence.

Per Wisden's MLC tournament previews, the overseas-availability picture in 2026 is the strongest the league has had — England's white-ball-only tour of India (early July) freed several names; the West Indies' light July schedule means Caribbean players are widely available; and Australia's mid-2026 calendar has been deliberately kept light for MLC release.

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How to watch in India

• Streaming: JioHotstar carries the entire tournament, including the playoff phase and final.
• TV: Star Sports for marquee fixtures.
• Time zone: most matches are evening ET (US Eastern) or evening PT (Pacific). For Indian viewers, this means morning-IST viewing — a 19:00 ET start at the Oakland Coliseum lands at 04:30 IST the next morning, which is brutal for live audiences but the highlights cycle hits IST primetime.
• Highlights: Cricbuzz and the league's official YouTube channel are the fastest highlight pipelines.

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What's at stake — for USA cricket and the 2026 calendar

Three things will be measured by 18 July:

1. Stadium-fill numbers. Oakland's 23-match share is the league's biggest crowd-test since the inaugural season.
2. Domestic-international playing-XI mix. Each squad must field a minimum of USA-eligible players; the impact those players have on results is the league's pipeline-credibility test for ICC qualifier-pathway purposes.
3. The 2027 broadcast renewal. Willow's USA rights and JioHotstar's India rights are both up for cycle review after 2026; high-rating fixtures across June-July compound into a stronger 2027 negotiation.

For the broader USA cricket story — including the country's ICC qualifier pipeline and associate-nation push — the league's growth is now a structural factor in USA Cricket's senior-team building project. The senior USA T20I side has used MLC squads as a feeder for two consecutive ICC global qualification windows.

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What we are watching from week one

• Opening-night Oakland Coliseum atmosphere. A first proper night in the new headline venue; the cricketing surface verdict will arrive within an over.
• The Knight Riders Cricket Field debut. Pomona's first proper league match.
• Travis Head's first 30 balls of the tournament — a specific watch because the Aussie left-hander has been in remarkable form across formats in 2025-26.
• Sunil Narine's first powerplay over — historically the most economical first-over in MLC's short life.

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Final fan note

MLC 2026 is the first season where the league is bigger than its venue limitations. Three grounds, six franchises, a month of cricket, and a final at a stadium older than most cricket franchises in the United States. Whatever the trophy outcome, this is the season the league either matures into a permanent fourth pillar of T20 franchise cricket or reveals where its growth ceiling actually sits.

For the related global T20 calendar, our SA20 2026 best overseas signings retrospective and the BBL 2026-27 season preview round out the off-season picture.

FAQ

When does Major League Cricket 2026 start?

MLC 2026 starts on Thursday 18 June 2026 and runs through Saturday 18 July 2026, with the final at the Oakland Coliseum in California on the closing day.

How many teams play in MLC 2026?

Six franchises play in MLC 2026: Washington Freedom (defending champions), MI New York, LA Knight Riders, Texas Super Kings, San Francisco Unicorns and Seattle Orcas. Each plays 10 round-robin matches before the four-team playoff stage.

What are the venues for MLC 2026?

MLC 2026 is played at three venues: Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas (the original MLC home), Oakland Coliseum in California (the largest share of fixtures, including the playoffs and final) and the brand-new Knight Riders Cricket Field in Pomona, California (LA Knight Riders' home ground).

Where can I watch MLC 2026 in India?

In India, MLC 2026 is streamed on JioHotstar with marquee fixtures on Star Sports. In the USA, the league is broadcast on Willow TV and Cricbuzz.

Who won MLC in 2025?

Washington Freedom won the 2025 MLC title, lifting the trophy at Grand Prairie Stadium in July 2025. Travis Head was named player of the tournament. They go into MLC 2026 as the defending champions.