Cricket fans in 87 countries around the globe watched MI New York defeat the Seattle Orcas in Texas on Sunday evening for the first-ever championship of Major League Cricket.
Despite the loss, tech leaders that are part of the Orcas ownership group were thrilled with their new franchise.
S. “Soma” Somasegar, managing director of Madrona Venture Group and an Orcas co-owner, told GeekWire prior to the match that this inaugural season “has been beyond fabulous. We feel really, really good.”
Soma noted the sold out stadiums in both Texas and North Carolina, the passion of fans, and the quality of play on the field had beat all expectations. An 80-year old woman approached him to say she had driven to Texas from California to see professional cricket, and that fans in India were tuned in during the wee hours of their morning.
“We came into this first season working to lay a strong foundation for the long term. We’re building a culture and a staff Seattle can be proud of,” he said.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, also a Orcas co-owner, was in Texas to deliver the first ball, cricket’s equivalent of the first pitch. Nadella played cricket in college and has written about those experiences for Wisden India Almanack.
“The places we call home and the sports we love are two of life’s most powerful and cherished passions, and when they come together, it’s just magical,” Nadella wrote to me Sunday via email. Nadella also offered live commentary during the 9th and 10th over of the match on the live telecast.
Seattle and five other teams began play earlier this month. They started in Texas, played in North Carolina, and returned to Texas for the playoffs.
Unlike the seesaw, to-and-fro of baseball innings, the format of cricket known as T-20 is played politely with one team batting until 20 overs (120 balls) are thrown — around the same number thrown by a baseball team in nine innings.
During a cricket game overs, the batting squad attempts to score as many runs as possible while the bowling team, the defense, attempts to take the batting team’s wickets. Batting ends when 10 wickets are taken or 20 overs are completed, whichever comes first.
MI New York, named for the Mumbai Indians of the Indian Premier League (IPL), took the championship trophy behind the MLC’s leading scorer, captain Nicholas Pooran of the West Indies, who managed 137 runs off 55 balls. He hit 13 sixes and 10 fours.
Earlier in the evening, Seattle Orcas batsman Quinton de Kock of South Africa hit masterfully, scoring 87 runs, just one short of his dominating performance a few nights earlier. He was bowled out by MI New York’s Trent Boult. Seattle looked to be in firm control with 143 runs for just three wickets when batsman after batsman lost wickets in quick succession. Dwaine Pretorius, also of South Africa, instilled new life at the bottom of the batting order with a cameo appearance for 21 runs.
The final tally: MI New York 184/3, Seattle 183/99.
Tom Dunmore, Major League Cricket’s head of marketing, called the first season “a brilliant launch” with packed stadiums, tremendous social media engagement and more than 50 million views on MLC’s platforms alone.
All of this despite a Texas-sized heat wave that kept temperatures well above 100. As one broadcaster put it, “we’ve been nicely fried.”
Dunmore said franchise owners were thrilled at the reaction from fans and players alike. He said the league is likely to see growth in the future, including possible expansion to new cities.
Next week, America’s Minor League Cricket teams commence play. One of those teams, the Seattle Thunderbolts, won last year’s minor league championship, and return this summer to defend their title. Some players from the Major League will continue to play for the American minor leagues, and the minors will continue to be a stepping ladder to the majors next year, a year in which the U.S. is co-hosting cricket’s World Cup.
The Orcas ownership group includes other Seattle-area tech execs including Icertis co-founder and CEO Samir Bodas and former Microsoft and Avalara executive Sanjay Parthasarathy.
The Pacific Northwest has embraced its Seahawks of the NFL, Mariners of the MLB, and Sounders of MLS. More recently, the region has supported the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby. In 2023, the Seattle Orcas brought the region into a professional league for the world’s second most popular sport — cricket.
