America's newest professional cricket league will launch on Thursday, July 13, under the floodlights and accompanied by pageantry, fireworks, aerial acrobatics and a custom drone show that will animate the sky above Grand Prairie Stadium in the Dallas area for Major League Cricket's inaugural match. Fans can purchase the limited seats remaining at tickets.majorleaguecricket.com, starting at only $30 (approx Rs 2,500).
The hometown Texas Super Kings will host the Los Angeles Knight Riders for the match starting at 7:30 p.m., with both teams providing branded team giveaways to fans for the historic occasion. Pre-game pageantry will include a National Anthem performance to be accompanied by members of the Grand Prairie Police and Fire Departments holding a giant American flag on the field during the National Anthem and flags to be presented by the Grand Prairie Police Color Guard.
An aerobatic aerial display will feature a GB1 GameBird, adding excitement for fans pre-game. During the innings break, a 12-minute drone show produced by Sky Elements, a leading drone show provider in the US, will showcase the arrival of the six new teams competing in Major League Cricket with their logos animated in the sky along with additional elements celebrating the first night of a new era in American cricket.
Following the conclusion of the match, fireworks will provide the finale for Grand Prairie Stadium's opening night. The new 7,200 cricket-specific venue in the Dallas-area will play host to 12 matches in the groundbreaking American professional cricket championship, running from July 13 to July 30.
Superstar players set to take part include Afghanistan T20 captain Rashid Khan, South African internationals Faf du Plessis and David Miller, West Indians Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, Australians Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Finch, England's Jason Roy, Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza, Sri Lankan Wanindu Hasaranga, India's Ambati Rayudu and New Zealand's Trent Boult.
“The opening night of Major League Cricket will be an unforgettable experience for fans on and off the field. The drone show, fireworks and the pageantry traditional to American sporting events will provide a thrilling stage for the world's best cricketers competing in the inaugural match of Major League Cricket,” said Sameer Mehta, Co-founder, Major League Cricket.