Mumbai Indians’ sister franchise, MI New York, on Wednesday (June 14) announced the signing of 9 international players, completing the roster of 18 players for the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023 season.
The squad features a strong core of experience, homegrown talent and young players – a trait that is common across all the MI teams in five different leagues.
Apart from the players, MI New York have also announced their line-up of coaching staff for the inaugural season.
Mumbai Indians legend Kieron Pollard will lead the franchise and the list also includes Afghanistan’s T20 captain Rashid Khan and former West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran.
They will be joined by Kiwi pacer Trent Boult and the Australian duo of Tim David and Jason Behrendorff. South Africa’s rising star Dewald Brevis, pace sensation Kagiso Rabada and Namibian all-rounder David Wiese are also part of the team.
All the players barring Wiese also play across multiple MI Teams – Mumbai Indians, MI Cape Town and MI Emirates, forming a strong core for MI, globally.
Mr. Akash M. Ambani, Owner of Mumbai Indians, said, “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. Further, we have exciting talent in the form of Tim David and Brevis, while Jason Behrendorff and David Wiese are proven performers. Combined with the exceptional skills of our local US players, we are confident that MI New York will raise the bar of competition in the cricket ecosystem of the US. We are dedicated to providing our fans with the quintessential MI brand of cricket.”
Former SA & MI player and MI Cape Town General Manager Robin Peterson has been appointed head coach while Mumbai Indians legend Lasith Malinga will perform the role of a bowling coach. J Arun Kumar and James Pamment have been named the batting and fielding coaches respectively. Arun and Pamment were part of the coaching team as assistant batting coach and fielding coach at Mumbai Indians.
At the MLC draft held on 19th March 2023, MI New York drafted 9 players - the first two USA-born players in the form of former captain Steven Taylor, all-rounder Nosthush Kenjige, current USA captain Monank Patel along with wicketkeeper Shayan Jahangir and fast bowler Kyle Phillip.
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.
MI New York will open their MLC 2023 campaign on July 13 against Los Angeles Knight Riders.
