This week signifies a major step forward for the game of cricket, no pun intended. Major League Cricket kicks off on Thursday as franchise T20 cricket reaches the American audience for the first time. With the long-awaiting tournament attracting international stars and plenty of global investment as well, there’s some great betting to be had over the next fortnight for those who want to bet on MLC 2023 online.
With names like ‘Super Kings’ and ‘Knight Riders’ being flashed around, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was another famous T20 league. While Major League Cricket might not quite be at the standard of the IPL, there will be some familiar names and faces on display over the coming week.
With six teams competing for the inaugural trophy and the likes of Trent Boult, Aaron Finch, and Faf du Plessis all willing their teams on, expect plenty of fantastic cricket action. We break down all the latest 2023 Major League Cricket odds and deliver our 2023 MLC predictions for those who want to get amongst the betting action.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | 2023 Major League Cricket, T20 Cricket Tournament |
| 📝 Format | Round-robin system with Playoffs |
| 🏟️ Venue: | Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas, and Church Street Park, North Carolina (USA) |
| 🗓️ Dates: | Thursday 13 July to Sunday 31 July |
Before diving into our MLC 2023 betting tips, let’s look at the overall 2023 Major League Cricket odds to win the tournament, based on the latest cricket live odds:
Given that this is the first season of Major League Cricket, the bookies’ odds are fairly congested for who wins the tournament outright. MI New York lead the odds at 4.33 (10/3), with a razor-thin edge over Washington Freedom, who sit at 4.50 (7/2). Right behind them are the Texas Super Kings and Los Angeles Knight Riders on 5.00 (4/1) and 5.50 (9/2), before both the San Francisco Unicorns and Seattle Orcas are trailing on 6.50 (11/2). Find brand new sports betting sites for this.
With barely 2.00 separating the odds for first and last, those looking to bet on MLC 2023 online will need the top MLC 2023 betting tips in order to succeed.
The debut season of Major League Cricket is the culmination of years of planning from the cricketing powers that be. Sanctioned by USA Cricket and operated by American Cricket Enterprises, MLC also has investments from some of the top Indian Premier League franchises as well.
Designed to both target the American audience and grow USA’s domestic game, MLC will feature six teams, with squads being made up of a mix of international stars and homegrown talent. In fact, playing XIs are required to have at least five domestic players, including one under-23 rookie.
Here’s a look at the teams so far and how we think they will fare in the opening season of MLC:
| Team | Predicted Finish |
|---|---|
| MI New York | Runners up |
| Washington Freedom | Third |
| Texas Super Kings | Champions |
| Los Angeles Knight Riders | Fourth |
| San Francisco Unicorns | Fifth |
| Seattle Orcas | Sixth |
This first season will be short and sweet, with each team playing a round-robin against all other sides. The top four teams then move into the playoffs, with the bottom two eliminated. Playoffs will follow the same format as other popular T20 leagues, with the top two teams playing a Qualifier Final, while the third and fourth play an Eliminator Final. The respective loser and winner then play one further Qualifier Final before a Grand Final on July 30th.
This may not be World Cup cricket, but there’s still plenty of fantastic betting to be had in this opening season of MLC action. Here are our top 2023 MLC predictions:
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Looking at each team’s squads that have been announced recently, the Texas Super Kings stand out as a team that has a stacked batting lineup. As we’ve seen in the IPL, teams that can consistently post big totals go deep in tournaments. With the world-class combination of Faf du Plessis and Devon Conway at the top of the order – two batsmen who scored 650+ runs in the IPL this year – as well as big hitters David Miller, Dwayne Bravo, and Daniel Sams in the middle order, the Texas Super Kings are well placed to take advantage of any weak bowling efforts.
Add in the wily bowling of Mitchell Santner and the pace of Gerald Coetzee, plus the winning mentality that comes with the Super Kings franchise, and it’s hard to see the men in yellow not going all the way in this year’s MLC.
2 (67%)
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MI New York are the ying to Texas Super King’s yang. While the Super Kings have gone batsmen-heavy, MI New York have focused on their bowling lineup. With premier bowlers such as Trent Boult and Rashid Khan, supported by the likes of Jason Behrendorff and Kieron Pollard, MI New York have the bowling firepower to keep other sides to double digits.
The only question is about their batting. Nicholas Pooran and Tim David are their big overseas cards, along with Kieron Pollard. Each can single-handedly win a T20 game – but will they be able to do it enough times to win the tournament? Feels like MI New York are one batsman short of having the perfect team, which is not surprising given the caliber of their bowling.
2 (67%)
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Faf du Plessis has been in red-hot form in T20 franchise cricket and led the IPL run-scoring charts for most of the regular season. The South African opener plundered 730 runs in the IPL, second only to Shubman Gill, who played three more matches than he did. These runs came at an average of 56.15, at a strike rate of 153.68.
Considering the other batsmen present in the MLC, Faf du Plessis is a cut above all but a few. He’ll have competition from his opening partner Devon Conway and potentially Martin Guptill, but du Plessis is looking like a strong bet to yet again dominate a T20 league with big runs.
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Another player that is in a class of their own is Afghani spinner, Rashid Khan. Khan is a generational talent and took the second most wickets in the IPL with 27. Given the number of domestic players that teams are required to play in their XIs, Khan should have a field day with young American batsmen that have never faced spin of his caliber before. Expect the 24-year-old to take some serious wickets over the fortnight – and hit a few big sixes as well.
T20 franchise cricket enters a new era this week as Major League Cricket commences in North America, attracting all US legal bookies to the festival. With six teams competing in a furious fortnight-long competition, it’s tough to pick who’s going to come out on top. However, we at BetZillion say the batting of the Texas Super Kings will take them all the way, led by Faf du Plessis, who will yet again be basking in the runs on the American pitches.
