The second edition of the Major League Cricket (MLC 2024) kicked off on July 5th and it has delivered exciting action in the first few days.
Today we take a look at how the teams have fared so far and which team will go on to win the MLC 2024.
This season of Major League Cricket is following one of the most thrilling editions of the T20 World Cup, which was co-hosted by the USA and the Caribbean. Recently, Major League Cricket (MLC) was granted List-A status by the ICC, marking it as America’s first world-class domestic T20 tournament.
The league features six teams: the Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings, and Washington Freedom, showcasing top-tier international and domestic cricket talent.
The MLC 2024 season comprises 25 matches, hosted at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and Church Street Park in North Carolina, running from July 5 to 28.
During the group stage, each team will play seven matches: facing three teams once and two teams twice. The top four teams will progress to the playoffs, where the leading two teams will compete in a Qualifier for a direct spot in the final. Meanwhile, the third and fourth-placed teams will battle in an Eliminator, with the victor advancing to face the Qualifier’s loser for the remaining spot in the final.
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Current standings of MLC 2024
Below you can take a look at the current standings on the points table of the MLC 2024 season.
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tie | N/R | Points | NRR |
| Washington Freedom | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.522 |
| San Francisco Unicorns | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.576 |
| MI New York | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.472 |
| Los Angeles Knight Riders | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.768 |
| Texas Super Kings | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -0.6 |
| Seattle Orcas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.344 |
How each team has fared in MLC 2024
Washington Freedom sit at the top of the table with one win and a no result, with the net run-rate reading 0.522. They defeated the reigning champions MI New York in their opening game of the season by 4 runs on DLS method, where the star USA bowler Saurabh Netravalkar picked 3 for 24 in his four overs.
San Francisco Unicorns, who missed out on the playoffs in the first MLC season, got off to a good start in this edition, smashing Los Angeles Knight Riders by six wickets. Chasing 166, Finn Allen struck 63 off 37 while Matthew Short blasted 58 off 26 as San Francisco finished the game in just 15.2 overs, and getting a big net run-rate boost.
MI New York, the winners of the inaugural MLC season, have played two games in this season so far, winning one and losing one. MINY started the season with a comprehensive six-wicket win over Seattle Orcas, where Trent Boult and Rashid Khan picked three wickets each before Nicholas Pooran smashed a fifty. They lost the second game to Washington Freedom by 4 runs on DLS method.
Los Angeles Knight Riders, who had finished at the bottom of the table in the 2023 edition, have two points from two games in this season with a net run-rate of -0.768. They won the first game against Texas Super Kings by 12 runs with Unmukt Chand scoring 68 off 45 and Ali Khan snaring a four-for. LAKR then suffered a heavy defeat against San Francisco by six wickets.
Texas Super Kings have played two games in the tournament so far, losing one and the other ending a no result. They lost the opening game against Los Angeles Knight Riders, where they fell short by 12 runs while chasing 163 despite Devon Conway scoring 53 off 39 at the top of the order.
Seattle Orcas, who had topped the group stage in the MLC 2023 and were the runners-up, haven’t had a great start to this season. They have played one game so far, against MI New York, which they lost by six wickets after getting bowled out for just 108.
Who will win Major League Cricket 2024?
The betting markets has changed significantly after the first few games in the MLC 2024, with two of the top three pre-tournament favourites – Washington Freedom and Texas Super Kings have slipped into bottom three. Meanwhile, MI New York have become bigger favourites to win the trophy on Bet365.
The reigning champions hammered Seattle Orcas in the first game but lost the second game on DLS method. They have a star-studded roster, with the batting department consisting of Nicholas Pooran, Tim David, and Kieron Pollard. The bowling unit looks arguably the best in the competition with Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Anrich Nortje, and Kagiso Rabada. You can bet on MINY to win the MLC 2024 at odds of 2.87 on Bet365.
San Francisco Unicorns smashed Los Angeles Knight Riders by six wickets in the only game they have played so far but it has increased their chances of going deep into the tournament. They have some destructive batting options in Finn Allen, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matthew Short and Josh Inglis. The bowling attack doesn’t look as threatening but if you wish, you can bet on them at odds of 5.00.
Los Angeles Knight Riders are the third favourites to win the tournament as things currently stand. They have won a match but lost another by a big margin. LAKR have some pretty good players in the form of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, David Miller, Adam Zampa and Spencer Johnson. You can bet on LAKR at odds of 5.50 on Bet365.
Washington Freedom are at the top of the table but the bookmakers don’t have much confidence on them. However, in the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Saurabh Netravalkar and Andries Gous, Washington have some quality players. You can bet on Washington Freedom to win at odds of 7.00.
The bookmakers have MI New York as strong favourites and we believe the defending champions do have resources in both bowling and batting departments to go back to back. We predict MI New York will go on to win the MLC 2024 season.
- Accept Indian Rupees as a currency
- Live Stream from mobiles
- Variety of sports betting markets
- Accept Indian Rupees as a currency
- Live Stream from mobiles
- Variety of sports betting markets