Series 2 · MLC · Report 05
MLC Season 4 Preview
The stars returning to North American T20 — career leaders, 2025 form holders, and a new home ground for the Knight Riders. Season 4 opens June 18 2026 and runs through July 18.
Career data: 75 MLC matches · 2023–2025 · Cricsheet CC BY 3.0 · 2026 rosters: operator-curated pre-season squads
§1 — Season 4 at a glance
Venues
§2 — Career run leaders returning in Season 4
Ranked by career MLC runs (2023–2025) · minimum 30 balls faced
| # | Player | 2026 Team | Career Runs | Innings | Balls | SR | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N Pooran | MI NY | 1352 | 39 | 926 | 146.0 | 137 |
| 2 | F du Plessis | TSK | 1226 | 34 | 748 | 163.9 | 113 |
| 3 | MW Short | SFU | 1195 | 31 | 780 | 153.2 | 121 |
| 4 | AGS Gous | WF | 1058 | 37 | 720 | 146.9 | 132 |
| 5 | Q de Kock | MI NY | 1007 | 36 | 710 | 141.8 | 88 |
| 6 | FH Allen | SFU | 904 | 35 | 472 | 191.5 | 151 |
| 7 | MD Patel | MI NY | 811 | 36 | 650 | 124.8 | 93 |
| 8 | KA Pollard | MI NY | 809 | 35 | 517 | 156.5 | 100 |
Sample: ≥30 balls faced in MLC 2023–2025 (Cricsheet). Players not in SETU snapshot omitted.
§3 — Career wicket leaders returning in Season 4
Ranked by career MLC wickets (2023–2025) · minimum 15 balls bowled
| # | Player | 2026 Team | Career Wkts | Balls | Economy | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TA Boult | MI NY | 54 | 852 | 8.23 | 4 |
| 2 | SN Netravalkar | WF | 49 | 784 | 8.47 | 4 |
| 3 | Haris Rauf | SFU | 38 | 705 | 8.83 | 4 |
| 4 | MP Stoinis | Seattle | 35 | 573 | 8.89 | 4 |
| 5 | CJ Gannon | Seattle | 33 | 607 | 9.13 | 4 |
| 6 | AD Russell | LAKR | 32 | 575 | 9.71 | 4 |
| 7 | SC van Schalkwyk | LAKR | 32 | 497 | 9.81 | 4 |
| 8 | SP Narine | LAKR | 30 | 666 | 5.86 | 4 |
Sample: ≥15 balls bowled in MLC 2023–2025 (Cricsheet). Players not in SETU snapshot omitted.
§4 — 2025 batting form leaders returning in Season 4
Ranked by batting strike rate in MLC 2025 · minimum 30 balls faced
| # | Player | 2026 Team | 2025 SR | 2025 Runs | 2025 Balls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FH Allen | SFU | 226.5 | 333 | 147 |
| 2 | D Ferreira | TSK | 213.8 | 248 | 116 |
| 3 | SO Hetmyer | Seattle | 213.8 | 340 | 159 |
| 4 | MJ Owen | WF | 198.1 | 313 | 158 |
| 5 | Hassan Khan | SFU | 187.5 | 225 | 120 |
| 6 | GJ Maxwell | WF | 180.0 | 252 | 140 |
| 7 | XC Bartlett | SFU | 178.7 | 134 | 75 |
| 8 | AJ Hosein | TSK | 176.5 | 60 | 34 |
Sample: ≥30 balls faced in MLC 2025 season (Cricsheet). Only players returning in Season 4 shown.
§5 — Key retentions by franchise
Top retention ($75K slot) per franchise — operator-curated from 2026 pre-season data
Source: operator-curated 2026 pre-season bundle. Retention amounts public per MLC draft rules.
§6 — New venue: Knight Riders Cricket Field at Fairplex, Pomona
MLC Season 4 introduces a new venue: Knight Riders Cricket Field at Fairplex in Pomona, California — the first permanent home ground for the Los Angeles Knight Riders. Located at the Fairplex fairgrounds, the ground was developed in early 2026 and is expected to serve as a cricket venue for the LA 2028 Olympics.
The other three venues — Grand Prairie Stadium (TX), Broward County Stadium (FL), and Oakland Coliseum (CA) — all continue from previous seasons. LAKR are captained by Sunil Narine in 2026, coached by Dwayne Bravo.
Frequently asked questions
- When does MLC Season 4 start?
- Major League Cricket Season 4 (Cognizant MLC 2026) starts on June 18 2026 and runs through the final on July 18 2026. The season comprises 34 matches across 6 franchises.
- Who is the defending MLC champion going into Season 4?
- MI New York are the defending champions, having won MLC 2025. They are the first franchise to win the title in consecutive seasons (2023 and 2025).
- How many matches are in MLC Season 4?
- MLC Season 4 has 34 scheduled matches across 6 franchises and 4 venues, running from June 18 to July 18 2026.
- What is the new venue in MLC Season 4?
- Knight Riders Cricket Field at Fairplex in Pomona, California is a new venue for MLC Season 4 (2026). It is the Los Angeles Knight Riders' first permanent home ground and is expected to host cricket for the LA 2028 Olympics.
- What venues host MLC Season 4?
- MLC Season 4 is hosted at four venues: Grand Prairie Stadium (Texas), Broward County Stadium (Lauderhill, Florida), Oakland Coliseum (California), and the new Knight Riders Cricket Field at Fairplex (Pomona, California).
- Who leads career MLC run-scoring among players in the 2026 season?
- N Pooran leads career MLC runs among players returning for Season 4 with 1352 runs from 39 innings (926 balls faced across 4 seasons). Career strike rate: 146.0. Team in 2026: MI New York. Source: CricketStudio aggregation of Cricsheet ball-by-ball (926 balls).
- Who leads career MLC wickets among players in the 2026 season?
- TA Boult leads career MLC wickets among players returning for Season 4 with 54 wickets from 852 balls (economy 8.23 across 4 seasons). Team in 2026: MI New York. Source: CricketStudio aggregation of Cricsheet ball-by-ball (852 balls).
- What format is Major League Cricket played in?
- Major League Cricket is played in the T20 format — 20 overs per side. Season 4 (2026) features 6 franchises based in Texas, New York, Florida, California, and Washington D.C.
- How many teams play in Major League Cricket?
- Six franchises compete in Major League Cricket: MI New York, Texas Super Kings, Washington Freedom, Los Angeles Knight Riders, San Francisco Unicorns, and Seattle Orcas.
2026-08-10T13:55:03.358Z. Sample-size floor: ≥30 balls faced (batting) · ≥15 balls bowled (bowling). 2026 roster data: operator-curated pre-season squads (not ball-by-ball). Canonical URL: https://players.cricketstudio.ai/research/mlc-season-4-preview