INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC) is taking the US by storm, boosted by the presence of IPL-owned teams and surpassing expectations in
terms of ticket sales and fan fervourDALLAS (TEXAS): Major League Cricket (MLC) is here in America, and it put on a spectacle at its
To add to the splendour, the opening ceremony featured an air show featuring a GB1 GameBird aircraft, a mid-innings drone show and fireworks
to light up the night sky
But those were mere adornments, not the centrepiece of the night
It was a sideshow to what unfolded once cricket took the centerstage
Cricket built its own vibe
Incessant whistling, collective crescendos and heavy sighs built the mood.Over the course of the past five days, Dallas has taken to cricket
After the high of the opening night, which saw the home team Texas Super Kings register an emphatic win, attendances for non-Texas games
Such was the craze for the Monday night big-ticket clash between home boys TSK and MI New York that MLC was forced to sell standing-room
MLC has further declared a complete sell out of five out of seven games in North Carolina and the final in Dallas.It has been a long
prevailing view in America that a league without the presence of current India players is predisposed to fail
A shot in the arm has been the presence of three big Indian Premier League (IPL) brands in MI, Super Kings and the Knight Riders
For the large Indian Diaspora and cricket lovers in general, MLC takes the shape of an extension of their loyalties in the IPL
It provided the crucial impetus the league needed at the launch, a ready fan base to cater to
The level of fan engagement has surpassed the expectations of the teams with respect to ticket sales and in stadium merchandise sales and
TSK dispersed around 2000 whistles on their match days while MI NewYork has run out of flags and T-shirts in just three away fixtures.While
the IPL franchises mobilize their massive fan bases, teams like Washington and San Francisco know they have their task cut out
At the forefront of their priorities would be to secure a stadium for themselves, a stadium that their fans can call their home
Washington Freedom are slightly ahead of the curve with regards to that
Freedom are awaiting the unveiling of a dual-purpose cricket and baseball stadium in George Mason University (GMU) campus near DC, expected
to be completed in 2025."It is a very well-staged tournament
We are very pleased with not just the amount of people that showed up but also the diversity of the people that showed up
I commend the Texas Super Kings for getting the fan engagement going
In a short amount of time, the amount of people they had and the stuff they did for fan engagement was truly a learning experience for us
We cannot wait to get our facility up and running at GMU
We have our own strategies for fan engagement to work as well
These are big brands with millions of followers worldwide
We are relative newcomers and it's going to take us time to get to where they are
We fully expect to take learnings from what they have done and go from there," said Sanjay Govil, owner of Washington Freedom.What has made
heads turn is also the time MLC and its international superstars have for the kids
About 60 kids of the Mustangs Cricket Academy in Dallas have been fortunate enough to meet, greet and get autographs of some of the legends
of the game after every game."Their spirits remain high even at 40.5 degree centigrade of summer heat
They love coming back every day to watch their USAheroes in action, which showcases their passion for the game," said Lovkesh Kalia, the
owner of Mustangs Cricket Academy and the Dallas Mustangs Minor League Team
"They cannot believe a tournament of this magnitude is taking place in their backyard
The parents of the kids who have also been here have texted me saying they will cherish this moment for their lifetime."Watch live MLC
action on Willow"We are here to build a product that will outlast our lifetimes and leave a legacy behind for the kids of this country,"
Sameer Mehta, co-founder of ACE (owners of MLC), had told this correspondent back in November 2019.After almost four years, one gets a
feeling it was no lip service after all
ACE had the choice of grabbing the low hanging fruit, making a quick buck by organizing a run-of-the mill T20 tournament at a place like
Fort Lauderdale near Miami.You can book your MLC tickets hereBut they chose to go against the grain, getting their cricketing infrastructure
