DALLAS — The National Cricket League (NCL) announced its official player draft for the upcoming season, which showcases a lineup that includes many of Team USA’s players who recently achieved one of the biggest upsets in cricket history.
The United States scored a major upset at the T20 World Cup by beating heavyweights Pakistan.
Building on Team USA’s historic victory, the NCL is set to bring cricket to new heights in America. The league will feature 84 players—48 international stars and 36 from the U.S.—and will be represented by six franchise teams: New York Lions CC, Dallas CC, Texas Gladiators CC, Chicago Cricket Club, Atlanta Kings CC, and the Los Angeles Waves CC.
These teams will compete in the fast-paced Sixty Strikes format, which is set to span 11 days throughout October.
The tournament will be held at UT Dallas in Richardson.
The NCL is bringing together cricket legends known worldwide – Zaheer Abbas, Wasim Akram, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sir Vivian Richards, Venkatesh Prasad, Sanath Jayasuriya, Moin Khan, and Blair Franklin, league officials said in a press release. Other notable top-tier players include: Shahid Afridi, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Robin Uthappa, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Chris Lynn, Martin Guptill, and Angelo Mathews.
The season will kick off with a performance by Bollywood superstar Mika Singh, and every day of the tournament will feature live performances from other Bollywood stars.
This fusion of cricket and entertainment will create an atmosphere similar to Coachella, combining music, performance, and sport for a one-of-a-kind experience, officials said.
Tickets for the tournament are available online at NCLCricket.com or SiTickets.com.
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