Mumbai Indians have named Kieron Pollard as the captain of their Major League Cricket side MI New York, the franchise made an official announcement on Wednesday. The star-studded MI New York also features names like Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran, and Trent Boult. Major League Cricket will be the first professional Twenty20 cricket championship in the United States. The inaugural season of Major League Cricket will kick off in the summer of 2023.
They will be joined by Aussie duo of Tim David and Jason Behrendorff. The team will also feature rising South African star Dewald Brevis, pace sensation Kagiso Rabada and Namibian all rounder David Wiese, who has previously represented South Africa as well. All the players except for David Wiese also play across multiple MI Teams – Mumbai Indians, MI Cape Town and MI Emirates, forming a strong core for MI, globally.
MI New York will play the first match against Sa Francisco on July 14 and then with Los Angeles Knight Riders on July 16. On July 17, they will face Texas Super Kings while MI NY play Washington Freedom on July 23. MI New York's last match will be pn July 25 vs Seattle Orcas.
Former South Africa and Mumbai Indians all-rounder Robin Peterson has been named as the head coach of the MI New York side while MI legend Lasith Malinga will be the bowling coach of the side. J Arun Kumar and James Pamment will take charge as the batting and fielding coaches respectively.
Akash M. Ambani, Owner of Mumbai Indians, feels MI New York has the right of mix experience, youth and power to do well in the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket. "We are thrilled to unveil team MI New York in the upcoming Major League Cricket season. Stalwart Pollard is leading the team which has international superstars Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, and Kagiso Rabada. It is an extraordinary line-up of youth, experience, and power."