MLC 2026 Playoff Schedule, Format, Stages, Broadcast — Decoded

Major League Cricket 2026 playoffs are scheduled for June 4 to June 7 at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas. The four-team playoff uses the IPL knockout format — Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2, and the Final. The league stage ends June 1, three rest days before the playoffs start. Here is the full playoff decode.

Playoff format

The IPL knockout structure. Qualifier 1 — first vs second. Winner goes to the final. Eliminator — third vs fourth. Loser is out. Qualifier 2 — Qualifier 1 loser vs Eliminator winner. Winner goes to the final. This format guarantees the top two seeds have two shots at the final.

Playoff fixtures

Qualifier 1 — June 4, 7:00 PM ET at Grand Prairie. Eliminator — June 5, 7:00 PM ET at Grand Prairie. Qualifier 2 — June 6, 7:00 PM ET at Grand Prairie. Final — June 7, 7:00 PM ET at Grand Prairie. All four matches at the same venue is a deliberate broadcast and logistics call.

Likely playoff teams

MI New York leads the standings as of mid-May. LA Knight Riders is second. Texas Super Kings third. San Francisco Unicorns fourth. The wildcard is Washington Freedom, who could replace SFU with a late win. The top-four positions will be locked by May 28.

Grand Prairie Stadium pitch

Grand Prairie in June is hot and dry with night dew. The pitch favours 180-200 first-innings scores. Bowling first is a 60% win rate with the dew in. Toss-winners chase. The boundary dimensions favour leg-side hitting. The pace bowlers get bounce in the day session, the spinners get grip at night.

Broadcast deal

Willow TV holds US rights. Star Sports / JioHotstar for the Indian audience. Fox Cricket for Australia. Sky Sports for UK. Free streaming on the MLC app for US viewers. The Final on June 7 is in prime time for both US and Indian audiences (7:00 PM ET = 4:30 AM IST).

Rest-day math and squad release

The MLC season uses a rest-day model. The top seed gets two rest days between league and Qualifier 1, then 48 hours to the final. The eliminator-winning team plays three games in four days — Eliminator, Q2, Final. Squad fatigue is the X-factor. Expect the team that wins Qualifier 1 to have a 20% Final win-rate advantage.

Marquee player workload

Andre Russell (LA Knight Riders), Tim David (LA Knight Riders), Kagiso Rabada (MI New York), Quinton de Kock (LA Knight Riders), Shai Hope (Washington Freedom). All five marquee names have committed to playing the playoffs, with Russell-Rabada-David being the highest-impact trio.

Prize money

Total prize purse is $1.2M. Winner takes $500k. Runner-up $250k. Eliminator loser $150k. Q2 loser $100k. The Most Valuable Player (chosen across the season) gets $50k. The Final is shorthand for league prestige.

What to watch next: MLC 2026 league stage finale May 28-June 1 and the playoff-team locks.

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