Major League Cricket is preparing its biggest structural shift since launching in 2023, with the US-based T20 competition set to grow from six franchises to eight by 2027 and, for the first time, cross the border into Canada. According to reporting on the league’s expansion plans, Toronto is in line to become the home of Canada’s first MLC franchise, joining Chicago as the two new markets added to a league that has so far been built entirely around American cities.
From six to eight, and north of the border
MLC’s current six-team setup — MI New York, Washington Freedom, Texas Super Kings, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas and LA Knight Riders — completed its fourth season this year, with MI New York successfully defending its title as the league’s dominant franchise. The decision to add two more teams reflects both the commercial momentum the competition has built in three years and a deliberate push to tap into cricket-mad diaspora communities beyond the league’s existing US footprint. Toronto’s addition would make it the league’s first market outside the United States, a milestone organisers have been working toward since early expansion discussions began.
Chicago, Philadelphia and Atlanta in the mix
Before Toronto and Chicago emerged as the leading candidates, MLC had shortlisted Philadelphia and Atlanta alongside the two eventual frontrunners, all four cities chosen specifically because of their large South Asian communities and existing grassroots cricket infrastructure. Final decisions on exactly which markets join the league were expected to be locked in this year, with factors including local government support for stadium infrastructure and projected ticket demand weighing heavily on the selection process. Toronto’s large South Asian population and its history of hosting international and franchise cricket fixtures were seen as particular advantages over rival bids.
Who will run the new franchises
Ownership of the new teams is expected to stay close to home for MLC’s leadership: co-founder Satyan Gajwani is set to launch one of the new franchises himself, while fellow league co-founders Vijay Srinivasan and Sameer Mehta are lined up to helm the other. That continuity of ownership among the league’s founding figures is intended to reassure investors and broadcasters that the expansion will maintain the same operational standards established across the existing six clubs, rather than diluting quality by handing new markets to untested ownership groups.
Bigger schedule, bigger ambitions
Growing to eight teams is expected to do more than just add two new badges to the competition. MLC’s power brokers have signalled a longer-term ambition for a home-and-away structure in which all teams play each other twice, a format change that would significantly lengthen the season from its current run of roughly a month. That evolution mirrors the trajectory of other emerging T20 leagues, which have typically expanded both team count and match volume once their foundational seasons proved financially viable, and it would bring MLC closer in scale to more established global franchise competitions.
A league still finding its ceiling
MLC’s growth has not been without sceptics. Some North American cricket administrators have questioned whether the sport’s fan base on the continent, while clearly growing, is deep enough yet to sustain eight well-attended franchises without diluting crowds at existing venues like Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and the newer Broward County Stadium site in Florida. League executives counter that the continued flow of capital — more than US$150 million invested since 2019 by backer ACE, with a stated target of ten international-standard venues across the US by 2030 — shows investors are betting on sustained rather than short-term growth, and that adding Canada’s cricket-loving population to the league’s addressable market only strengthens that case.
What’s next
With Toronto and Chicago the clear frontrunners, the coming months are expected to bring formal confirmation of the two new franchises, their ownership structures and likely venues. For MLC, the symbolic step of adding its first non-US market carries weight well beyond the pitch: a successful Toronto launch could open the door to further cross-border expansion, while a shaky start risks reinforcing doubts about how quickly North American franchise cricket can scale. Season 5 planning, including whether the new teams debut in 2027 as scheduled or face delays tied to stadium readiness, will be the next milestone to watch.
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