Grand Prairie ready for first Major League Cricket match next month
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - World-class cricket is coming to North Texas as the popular sport launches a new league.
The new Major League Cricket Stadium in Grand Prairie is ready to host games.
Grand Prairie Stadium, which used to be home to the Texas AirHogs from the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, has been re-purposed for cricket games.
The stadium will serve as the home for the Texas Super Kings from the newly-formed Major League Cricket, which features top players from around the globe.
The MLC will pay two 10-year leases in Grand Prairie.
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Texas Super Kings co-owner Anurag Jain says he's very excited to bring the sport to North Texas.
"Cricket is a very important part of my life growing up. I played on the streets of India, many a street window was broken while I was playing cricket," said Jain. "This is very exciting that I am bringing that sport that I love so much, that my family loves so much, to this country which is now my home."
The Super Kings are one of six teams in the MLC and are coached by Stephen Fleming, a former captain of the New Zealand National Cricket Team.
Just last week, the Super Kings announced the players signed for the inaugural season, naming Faf Du Plessis, from South Africa, as the captain.
If you don't know the rules or understand cricket, they say the best thing you can do is come out to watch a match and learn.
"It's a great sport. 120 pitches, 3 and a half hours. It is superfast, once you get into it, you understand the nuances, you like it. But the most important thing is 2.5 billion watch it. It is more than a sport it is a way of life," said Jain.
The season opens on July 13, when the Super Kings will take on the LA Knight Riders in Grand Prairie.
The renovated stadium can hold 7,200 fans and tickets are on sale now.
Jain said his hope is to land a World Cup game in Grand Prairie in 2024.