Major League Cricket can be right up there just behind IPL, believes Liam Plunkett
Keeping in mind that ‘America is the biggest place in the world for sport’, Liam Plunkett is optimistic about the future of Major League Cricket. The former England pace bowler, in fact, feels MLC could surpass every other franchise league across the world, and will only be behind IPL.
The much-anticipated Major League Cricket (MLC) got underway on Friday, with Texas Super Kings thrashing Los Angeles Knight Riders by 69 runs in the curtain-raiser in Dallas. Devon Conway and David Miller starred with the bat, scoring 55 and 61 respectively to help their side post 181/6 before they dismissed Knight Riders for 112 in just 14 overs. Andre Russell top-scored with 55, but the other star batters, including Martin Guptill, and Rilee Rossouw among many others, failed miserably to suffer a thumping defeat.
In a recent conversation with BBC, Liam Plunkett was of the opinion about MLC, saying the tournament is here to stay. The former English paceman went on to remark that it could be the biggest T20 tournament in the sport behind the Indian Premier League.
"It can be right up there just behind the IPL. Obviously it will be hard to overtake the IPL but MLC is being taken very seriously and America is the biggest place in the world for sport,” Plunkett told BBC Sport. "Let's see where that ceiling is. Nobody knows and that's the exciting part, it is unknown. There's huge potential."
The ongoing MLC will have 19 matches played over two and a half weeks. Six teams – MI New York, Texas Super Kings, Los Angeles Knight Riders, Seattle Orcas, San Francisco Unicorns and Washington Freedom – will play up against each other for the prestigious trophy.
Further, Plunkett highlighted the Americans are very passionate about sports, and if they see the excitement and buzz around cricket, there will be a massive jump in terms of popularity around it.
"Away from cricket, there are all sorts of different sponsorships and partnerships. Who knows where that is going to take some of the superstars of the game?” Plunkett added. "When Americans get excited about something, they go above and beyond. Like the Indians, they are very passionate. With these players coming across, it shows there's massive excitement. They want to be here because if it takes off, it could be huge."
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