The inaugural edition of the Major League Cricket (MLC) starts on July 13 as six teams line up to bring the carnival of franchise cricket to the USA – Among the star-studded rosters of each team, there are several Pakistani players, including some Pakistan internationals, who will take part in the competition. Here’s all you need to know about them.
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A total of 19 matches will be played in MLC 2023 between July 13-July 30. Texas Super Kings and LA Knight Riders will start off the tournament at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas on July 13.
You can find the entire schedule of MLC 2023 here, including full fixtures list.
All six teams have announced squads consisting of a solid mix of local US talent as well as high-profile T20 stars from around the globe. They include several Pakistan players as well, who’ll ply their trade for different teams in the competition.
Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan, two very in-demand T20 players around the world who are central to the Pakistan T20I side, have signed for San Francisco Unicorns, while Imad Wasim has signed for Seattle Orcas.
Apart from them, several other players of Pakistan origin who have either moved to the USA or are out of plans for the national team will be seen in action in MLC 2023.
Nauman Anwar, a 27-year-old opening batter who has played a solitary T20I for Pakistan, will feature for Seattle Orcas, while Mukhtar Ahmed, another opening batter who has played T20Is for Pakistan will play for Washington Freedom.
The other Pakistani players featuring in MLC 2023 include batter Saad Ali, seam-bowling allrounder Hammad Azam, fast bowler Ehsan Adil who was a part of the 2015 ODI World Cup squad for Pakistan, Saif Badar, and opener Sami Aslam.
You can check out how to buy tickets for MLC 2023 here.
List of Pakistan players in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023
Haris Rauf: San Francisco Unicorns (current international)
Shadab Khan: San Francisco Unicorns (current international)
Imad Wasim: Seattle Orcas (current international)
Nauman Anwar: Seattle Orcas (local player)
Mukhtar Ahmed: Washington Freedom (local player)
Saad Ali: Washington Freedom (local player)
Hammad Azam: Mumbai Indians New York (local player)
Ehsan Adil: Mumbai Indians New York (local player)
Saif Badar: Los Angeles Knight Riders (local player)
Sami Aslam: Texas Super Kings (local player)
The full squads for all six teams in Major League Cricket 2023 can be found here.