Major League Cricket 2023 Draft to be held Today:
The countdown has started for a new T20 League. Major League Cricket will have its first edition in July this year. The draft for the domestic players will happen on 19 March in the USA and 20 March in India. The Space Center Houston will host the historic draft.
The MLC franchises will be drafting eight rounds for the domestic talent. Franchises will also select an additional domestic player to the team at a later date based on the performances during the first half of the Minor League Cricket season. The rest of the teams will be filled, with some of the best T20 players from around the globe. Each franchise can have a maximum of seven overseas cricketers. As per reports, the franchises can make the overseas hirings as direct signings and may not have to go through the auction or draft route.
Some of the players with World Cup experiences who joined the MLC are Liam Plunkket, Corey Anderson, and Unmukt Chand.
Liam Plunkett participated in the 2019 cricket World Cup final as he managed to take three crucial wickets for his team. Plunkett joined the Major League Cricket in 2021 while he debuted for Minor League Cricket in 2022.
Corey Anderson from New Zealand scored two half-centuries in the 2015 cricket World Cup. In two collective seasons of the Minor Cricket League, Corey has scored 562 runs with a strike rate of 128.
The youngster, Unmukt Chand captained the Indian team to victory in the 2012 Under-19 World Cup. Chand has been the most sensational scorer in Minor League Cricket history.
Saurabh Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige, and Aaron Jones are from the US National Teamers. Saurabh and Nosthush have been the backbone of the USA bowling line-up. They have been the major bowling figures for their teams as they have bowled exceptionally well. Aaron Jones, the batsman from the USA team has managed to score eight half-centuries and a century. He has been the leading player for his team with his excellent performance.
The Minor League Cricket stars for the draft are Hammad Azam, Phani Simhadri, and Sujith Gowda.
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Hammad Azam has been an outstanding all-rounder. Azam punished the bowlers with his 411 runs. On the other hand, he took 12 wickets. Phani Simhadri took 43 wickets in just 63.1 overs in 2021. He took a wicket in every match he played in 2022. Sujith Gowda has been one of the most consistent batsmen across the first two seasons of Minor League Cricket. He has a special bonding with the bat as he has a healthy strike rate of 149.
The domestic players from MLC include Sami Aslam, Sarbjeet Singh, and Ali Sheikh. Sami Aslam as a batsman has been in excellent form as he has scored 90 off just 54 and successfully chased down 200 for his team. Sarbjeet Singh had three strong performances as he took 2 wickets in his full quota of 4.0 overs in each match. On the contrary, Ali Sheikh has been excellent with the ball, taking seven wickets in just 8.0 overs. Over two years of MLC, Ali has taken 27 wickets alongside 264 runs with the bat.
Newcomers like Ian Holland and Cameron Stevenson have been prevented from participating in the MLC both players have a vast experience with the US National team. Brody Couch and Cameron Gannon both hail from Australia and have an extensive experience in the Big Bash League.
