Cricket may not be as popular in the U.S. as it is elsewhere, but prominent CEOs and investors are determined to change that. With the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S. for the first time, nearly a billion dollars has been invested in Major League Cricket, the new professional league in America.
Among the investors are Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen. Other backers include Iconic Ventures, Madrona Venture Group, and executives from Google. “What excites me is the possibility of making cricket a mainstream sport in the U.S.,” said Soma Somasegar, venture capitalist and managing director at Madrona. Somasegar and Nadella are key owners of Seattle’s cricket team, the Orcas, and are also investors in the league.
Nadella’s passion for cricket is evident, as Microsoft even has a cricket field on its Bellevue, Washington campus. “Many of us immigrants grew up with this sport,” Somasegar noted, reflecting on his and Nadella’s shared enthusiasm.
Currently, Major League Cricket comprises six professional teams, each expected to invest between $75 million and $100 million over the coming years. This investment covers team assembly, talent acquisition, and stadium construction for live matches. The league’s growth is further boosted by the T20 World Cup, held at three U.S. locations and several in the West Indies throughout June.
In a surprising turn of events, the U.S. team recently defeated Pakistan in a match near Dallas. Anticipation is building for the India vs. Pakistan match at the newly developed Nassau County stadium in New York. The last matchup between these two teams drew over 300 million viewers in India alone.
Ticket reseller StubHub reports that the average ticket price for Sunday’s highly anticipated rivalry match is $1,300, compared to an average of $120 for the other 54 tournament matches.
Anurag Jain, part owner of the San Francisco Unicorns, emphasized the league’s goal: “The goal is to make cricket a mainstream sport.” Satyan Gajwani, vice chairman of Times Internet and head of Willow TV, which holds exclusive streaming rights for cricket in North America, echoed this sentiment. Gajwani highlighted the loyal fan base from South Asia residing in the U.S., estimating about five million dedicated cricket fans.
South Asians in the U.S. have the highest gross income of any ethnic group, according to Indiaspora, a nonprofit community of Indian leaders. This provides significant discretionary income for sports and entertainment, said M.R. Rangaswami, founder and chairman of Indiaspora.
Rangaswami acknowledged the challenge of breaking into the U.S. sports scene dominated by basketball and football but suggested that baseball fans, given the sport’s similarities to cricket, might be a potential entry point.
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