MLC 2026: Here Are the Complete Squads of Every Franchise
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The Return of Major League Cricket
Major League Cricket (MLC) has officially returned for its highly anticipated fourth season. The buzz surrounding this year’s competition feels significantly larger than in previous years, marking a turning point for the sport in the United States. The 2026 edition kicked off on June 18 and is scheduled to conclude on July 18. Six elite franchises are currently battling it out across various venues in Texas and California. While the tournament duration is short, the intensity is incredibly high, providing the fast-paced, high-stakes action that modern T20 cricket fans crave.
MLC 2026. (Credits: X.com)
The season commenced with a spicy clash between the Texas Super Kings and the Seattle Orcas at the iconic Grand Prairie Stadium. The tournament follows a double round-robin format, ensuring that every team faces their opponents twice. With two points awarded for a win and one for a no-result or abandonment, the table dynamics are fluid. As always, Net Run Rate (NRR) looms as a potential decisive factor, meaning one bad collapse or a dominant victory could drastically alter a team’s path to the playoffs.
Once the league stage concludes, the top four teams will enter a high-pressure playoff system. The top two teams earn a second chance in the Qualifier, while the third and fourth-placed teams face off in a sudden-death Eliminator. This structure ensures that from the final week onwards, the drama is relentless. MLC 2026 has transitioned from an exhibition-style showcase to a robust, competitive league where every match counts.
MLC 2026: Complete squads of all 6 teams
Below is the detailed breakdown of every franchise roster competing for the championship this season.
MI New York (MINY)
Led by the legendary Kieron Pollard, the squad includes: Quinton de Kock (WK), Ryan Rickelton (WK), Nicholas Pooran (WK), Monank Patel (WK), Agni Chopra, Tajinder Dhillon, Trent Boult, Sunny Patel, Nosthush Kenjige, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Tristan Luus, Rushil Ugarkar, Corey Anderson, Corbin Bosch, Romario Shepherd, Faisal Khan Ahmadzai, and Kunwarjeet Singh.
Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR)
Captained by Jason Holder, the LAKR lineup features: Sunil Narine, Alex Hales, Unmukt Chand, Saif Badar, Colin Munro, Andre Fletcher (WK), Nitish Kumar, Jahmar Hamilton (WK), Carmi le Roux, Kristopher Ramsaran, Ali Khan, Lloyd Pope, Andre Russell, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Karthik Gattepalli, and Matthew Tromp.
Texas Super Kings (TSK)
Faf du Plessis leads the TSK side, supported by: Rilee Rossouw, Calvin Savage, Smit Patel (WK), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Joshua Tromp (WK), Adam Milne, Nandre Burger, Keshav Maharaj, Hardus Viljoen, Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Mohsin, Abhimanyu Lamba, Wiaan Mulder, Milind Kumar, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Ranjane, and Amshi de Silva.
Washington Freedom (WF)
Steve Smith takes the helm for Washington, managing a deep roster: Mark Chapman, Mukhtar Ahmed, Lahiru Milantha (WK), Andries Gous (WK), Lockie Ferguson, Ben Dwarshuis, Amila Aponso, Saurabh Netravalkar, Asif Mehmood, Abhishek Paradkar, Yasir Mohammad, Glenn Maxwell, Rachin Ravindra, Obus Pienaar, Ian Holland, Marco Jansen, Nikhil Chaudhary, Jack Edwards, and Mitchell Owen.
San Francisco Unicorns (SFU)
Matthew Short captains the Unicorns, with teammates: Finn Allen (WK), Zia-ul-Haq, Connor Esterhuizen, Saideep Ganesh (WK), Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Lhuan-dre Pretorius (WK), Ollie Peake, Aakarshit Gomel, Xavier Bartlett, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ilyas, Juanoy Drysdale, Ravichandran Ashwin, Hassan Khan, Hammad Azam, Aaron Hardie, and Anirudh Immanuel.
Seattle Orcas (SO)
Marcus Stoinis leads a star-studded Seattle squad including: Shimron Hetmyer, Shehan Jayasuriya, Tim Seifert (WK), Shayan Jahangir, Matthew Breetzke, Sujit Nayak, Sharad Lumba, Rahul Jariwala (WK), Tim Robinson, Cameron Gannon, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman, Harmeet Singh, Tanveer Sangha, Jasdeep Singh, Ayan Desai, Dasun Shanaka, and Ali Sheikh.
With such world-class talent spread across all six franchises, the road to the final will be grueling. Fans should prepare for a month of tactical masterclasses, explosive batting, and world-class bowling displays that characterize the very best of T20 cricket.
