Major League Cricket is closer to becoming a reality in the United States with the date and venue set for the new professional sports league's inaugural season to take place in the Dallas area next summer.
The professional cricket league, backed by $44 million that includes funds from Dallas-area businessmen Anurag Jain and Ross Perot Jr., is scheduled to launch July 13 during the opening match at Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas, about 13 miles west of downtown Dallas.
The season is set to conclude with a championship final on July 30 at the stadium after three weeks of "fast-paced T-20 action," or the Twenty20 format of the game, officials said, referencing what is a shortened cricket match. The launch of the league is expected to bring many of the world's top cricket players to the United States for the first time, officials said.
“The launch of Major League Cricket will transform American cricket and provide one of the best platforms in the sport for the world’s most elite players to showcase their skills while also fast-tracking the development of domestic talent to feature in the league," said Justin Geale, the league's tournament director, in a statement.
The $20 million redevelopment of a former minor league baseball stadium into Grand Prairie Stadium at 1600 Lone Star Parkway is finishing up its final phase of construction. The Texas AirHogs, a minor league baseball team, folded in 2020, leaving the city of Grand Prairie free to lease the city-owned stadium to a new user.
Construction on the redeveloped stadium with capacity for 7,200 fans is scheduled for completion in spring 2023. For major events, the stadium has the ability to expand its capacity to over 15,000.
Dallas-based HKS Architects, which has SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field in nearby Arlington, Texas, on its resume, is the project architect behind the cricket stadium. Manhattan Construction is the project's general contractor.
The 2023 season is expected to feature 19 matches played over 18 days. In all, six teams from major U.S. markets, including Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., will compete with "multiple global stars," officials said.
Grand Prairie Stadium is set to be the league's primary playing venue for the 2023 season. Additional details, including the name and identity of the Dallas franchise, as well as other venues for the league's inaugural season, will be unveiled early next year.
Grand Prairie Stadium is also expected to host matches during the International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, said Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen in the statement.
The Dallas-Fort Worth region is a sports mecca, with major league teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, which is ranked as the world's most valuable sports team, the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Stars and the Dallas Mavericks, and several minor league teams. The region is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with more than 7.7 million residents and would-be homegrown fans.
The region is also home to American Airlines and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which offers the most nonstop destinations throughout the world. This makes the region easily accessible to professional cricket players and spectators alike.