The Major League Cricket (MLC), the first major T20 league in the United States of America has set its eyes on major England stars like Ben Stokes and Harry Brook offering them a pay packet of 150,000 pounds for just 19 days of cricket.
The inaugural edition of the much-awaited tournament is scheduled to be played from July 13 to 30. The competition will be held at Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina. A total of six teams – Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings, and Washington Freedom – will be participating in MLC 2023.
The current season of the MLC features some big names like Jason Roy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Kieron Pollard, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Faf du Plessis, Devon Conway, David Miller, Quinton de Kock, Shimron Hetmyer and Anrich Nortje.
After Jason Roy, MLC Wants Ben Stokes And Harry Brooks Amongst Others For Next Season
According to reports, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, and other English players are being considered by the MLC’s organizers for the upcoming competition. The English players may make a fortune by participating in the competition, according to a Metro.co.uk story. Jason Roy, a star player for England, will currently make up to £150,000 (about 1.6 crores INR) for participating in the MLC for just three weeks.
MLC co-founder Vijay Srinivasan insists they are chasing top-class talent from around the world. He told the BBC: “American sports fans want to see the best in the world. That’s the demand in US professional sports. They don’t want second-tier talent. They insist on the best. England is fortunate to have some of those with the likes of Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook.”
Opener Roy, who canceled his £70,000 incremental white-ball contract with Lord’s to join the MLC circus, features in Friday morning’s curtain-raiser for LA Knight Riders against Texas Super Kings at the Prairie Stadium near Dallas.