Cummins "excited" to join San Francisco Unicorns

The franchise announced the huge signing of the Australia men's captain today (June 4), marking another big name joining the US league. He will join the Unicorns bowling attack which already boasts Paksitan's Haris Rauf and New Zealand's Matt Henry.

The 2024 MLC season is set to start on July 5, shortly after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, with the Unicorns' first match scheduled for July 7 against LA Knight Riders.

“I’m very excited to join the Unicorns ahead of the 2024 season,” said Cummins in a press release. “MLC is developing at a rapid rate, and the US market potential is huge for cricket.”

Major League Cricket looking to expand in the near future

This new marquee signing comes after MLC announced ambitious plans to expand the league. Having started in their inaugural season last year with a 19-game tournament, they plan to expand to 34-games by the 2025 season. With the league currently featuring six franchises, there are plans to launch two more in the near future, with MLC recently granted List A status by the ICC.

The 2024 season does not clash with any of Australia's upcoming international fixtures. Following the T20 World Cup, Australia's next international fixture is a white ball tour of England in September. Cummins is therefore expected to be available for the entire league.

“Pat Cummins has been one of the world’s great players across all formats for a number of years now and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Unicorns family,” said San Francisco Unicorns co-owner Anand Rajaraman.

“Pat’s commitment to a long-term contract demonstrates his faith in our vision for growing cricket in the Bay Area and more broadly across the US. We’re confident that, both on and off the pitch, he will bring a high caliber of performance that will help us achieve those goals.”

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