Cricket returns to the Olympics at Los Angeles 2028 after a massive gap of 128 years. Paris 1900 was the last time cricket featured in the world’s biggest sporting spectacle. And all kinds of preparations are underway. In 2024, the USA hosted some of the matches of the T20 World Cup to get their first taste of international cricket. The event saw them upset Pakistan in one of the matches, considered the biggest in the history of T20 cricket.
Now, in another big move, Los Angeles will host Major League Cricket (MLC) for the first time later this year as part of the overall Olympic preparations in the city.
What makes these matches doubly special is that this year also marks the United States of America’s 250th birthday, and some of the five proposed matches will be played on America’s Independence Day, July 4. The rest of these will be played three days before, on July 1.
California’s Knight Riders Cricket Field is the designated venue for these five games. The match between Los Angeles Knight Riders and the Washington Freedom is one of the biggest draws during the LA leg of the MLC.
“Bringing Major League Cricket to Los Angeles is a huge milestone for our league and for the growth of cricket across the United States,” said Johnny Grave, CEO of MLC.
“The Pomona Fairgrounds will be the future home of Olympic cricket in 2028, and we’re thrilled to give fans in Southern California their first taste of the sport at this iconic venue,” he added.
Suryakumar Yadav is ready for LA 2028!
As of now, six top teams from six continents are understood to be featuring in the 2028 event. India have won the last T20 World Cups, and the latest of their triumph came earlier this month when they beat New Zealand in the final to become the first team to win back-to-back T20 World Cup titles. They should qualify just on that. However, more information is expected in the coming months regarding the qualification process.
After winning the T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was quick to let the world know that his team was now targeting the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 as well as the T20 World Cup in the same year.
