Major League Cricket Opens With a Big Win for the Texas Super Kings

Imagine that you’re playing on a professional sports team on the opening day of the season. The first game is the one that will set the tone for the rest of the season. Now imagine that this first game is the first event for the whole league, and there’s a sold-out crowd. The pressure has to be tremendous.

“There’s always a bit of pressure on the first game, but it’s something I believe is gonna create something for the future, and to be a part of that I think firstly is very special as the team to play the opening game,” David Miller of the Texas Super Kings says. “It’s special and a privileged position to be in, so to notch off a win as well is even better.”

The Texas Super Kings faced that scenario on Thursday at the new cricket oval in Grand Prairie for its season-opening, 69-run win against the Los Angeles Knight Riders. The fans who filled the former home of the Texas AirHogs baseball team to capacity on Thursday will have 10 more chances to root for the home team now that the first official Major League Cricket (MLC) season is underway. According to the league, six of those games are sold out already.

“The passion and excitement seen in the stands on the sold-out opening night of Major League Cricket on Thursday was amazing to behold,” said MLC co-founder Vijay Srinivasan, “and we can’t wait to see more full houses signaling the arrival of a new top-tier professional sports league in America.”

If you’re the kind of football-worshipping Texan who laughed at the initial idea of a professional cricket team in our backyard, you’d have to a hard time hanging on to that argument if you went to Thursday night’s match. The stands were packed and decorated with yellow flags carrying the Super Kings lion logo as fans raised some hell to support their team on the pitch. These fans are invested in their teams and in the game, making for some dramatic tension and inspired celebrations. 

There were some lulls in the action in between bowls and bats – just like in baseball, where it can feel like an eternity waiting for a big hit or the chance to see a killer play. But it’s different with cricket. You really have to zone in on every second because a hit wicket or a great catch can happen at just about any moment, and if your head isn’t pointed toward the field, it’s easy to miss.

Late in the game, bowler Gerald Coetzee caught the Knight Riders off guard with a superb hit wicket in a matter of a second. The wicket and the poles lit up like fireworks as the wicket launched to the other end of the oval and the crowd roared. It was followed with fireworks that punctuated the achievement. If my head was turned in the other direction, there was no chance to catch it in action. Cricket demands your attention, and you can get lost in the action.

Even the defensive plays are a thrill to watch. There are so many areas the fielders have to cover, so diving saves and sliding catches happen a lot more than just maybe once or twice a game.

Cricket definitely has a future in Texas. Just imagine how it would feel to have a championship team back in Dallas once again.