Major League Cricket ‘can be right up there’ with IPL, says former England World Cup winner Liam Plunkett

Former England fast bowler Liam Plunkett says Major League Cricket can be “just behind” the Indian Premier League. The MLC could become the biggest T20 franchise tournament in the world the 38-year-old said, following Texas Super Kings’ victory over Los Angeles Knight Riders by 69 runs in the opening match in Dallas. Ad Plunkett is set to make his debut for San Francisco Unicorns on Friday and has predicted a bright future for the league.

CricketJaiswal makes century on debut as India tighten grip on first Test14 HOURS AGO «It can be right up there just behind the IPL,» Plunkett said. «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. »Let's see where that ceiling is.

Nobody knows and that's the exciting part, it is unknown. There's huge potential." The MLC is a new T20 league in the USA which consists of a 19-game season played over two and a half weeks and features six teams. MI New York, Texas Super Kings, Los Angeles Knight Riders, Seattle Orcas, San Francisco Unicorns and Washington Freedom will battle it out for the inaugural MLC trophy.

There was a no lack of passion on the field as seasoned T20 franchise and international players took part in the highly anticipated opening fixture at the 7,000-capacity Grand Prairie Stadium — just hours after a $20m redevelopment was completed. Plunkett moved to the US with his American wife to take part in the new league and says there could be lucrative spin-offs for cricketers following the development and growth of MLC. «Away from cricket, there are all sorts of different sponsorships and partnerships,” said the 2019 World Cup winner.