MI New York wins Major League Cricket in US; Nita Ambani says wonderful to see growth of cricket

New Delhi: MI New York has won the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket, the US T20 league, beating Seattle Orcas by 7 wickets.

Major League Cricket (MLC) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in the United States. Six team representing major US cities participated in the tournament that started on July 13.

In the finals, Seattle Orcas scored 183 for loss of 9 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

MI New York chased down a total of 184 in just 16 overs to win by six wickets with captain Nicholas Pooran leading from the front with an unbeaten hundred.

MI New York, which is owned by Indiawin Sports (a Reliance company), "put on a series of captivating performances to win the inaugural edition of MLC at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas", a company statement said.

On the day of the final, when the men in blue and gold put on a supreme show to clinch the title, team owner Nita M Ambani, wife of billionaire and Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani, was pitch side.

Speaking on the momentous occasion, Nita Ambani described the atmosphere for the final as 'unbelievable and really exciting'.

She also hailed the impact of the tournament that has seen some of the best players in the world in action. "Just look at the atmosphere here. It looks like a festival of cricket. I think MLC is a momentous step in the development of cricket in this region. Sport can be a bedrock of society and especially in the US it's a big part of the culture." "So, for us to join hands with MLC and play our role in the growth and development of cricket in this region is fantastic. I'm enjoying every moment of it," she said.

MI New York is one of the five teams that are part of the Mumbai Indian franchise across the globe.

Speaking about the vision behind the same, she said, "It's been wonderful to see the growth of cricket around the world and especially MI going to the UAE, South Africa and now here in the US. We also have a women's team which I am very, very proud of. It was so wonderful to see these young girls coming from such diverse backgrounds coming and playing together as a team. It was very heart-warming."

Nita Ambani also hoped that the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) will be a game changer. "I'm a big supporter of girls in sports and I hope we can take it forward in every sport possible," she said.

She said Mumbai Indians have been a nursery of talent over the years. "At Mumbai Indians we pride ourselves on discovering and nurturing young talent - Hardik (Pandya), (Jasprit) Bumrah. We hope to do this not just in India but around the world."