Major League Cricket (MLC), a newly created American cricket league, announced the launch of the Washington Freedom, Washington, D.C.’s first professional cricket team.

The Washington Freedom, which the MLC revealed March 15, will compete alongside five other teams during the MLC’s inaugural season, which begins July 13. The newly constructed Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas will host all of the matches. 

Sanjay Govil, the lead investor for the Washington Freedom, and his son Avikar Govil said cricket fans in the District have historically been proactive about supporting up-and-coming teams.

“DC has, in my opinion, the most avid and loyal fan base in the country,” Govil wrote to The Hoya. “We are excited to draw on this passion as our team gets up and running. DC fans are also no strangers to getting behind new teams in the area. We’ve seen quite a few over the past few decades like the Mystics in ‘98, Nationals in ‘05 or Defenders in ‘18. Our fans are willing to give new teams a chance and wholeheartedly throw their support behind them.”

The MLC announced the launch of their inaugural summer 2023 season Nov. 15, 2022. The season will consist of 19 matches played over 18 days and will conclude with a championship final July 30. The league will play the Twenty20 (T20) format of cricket, a shortened variation that spans one day rather than the typical three to five days. 

MLC Tournament Director Justin Geale said the new league will expand cricket — a sport that is most popular in southern Asia and Australia — to an American audience.

“The launch of Major League Cricket will bring an American flavor to the world of cricket, and it’ll be fantastic to see the Washington Freedom take to the pitch representing the nation’s capital this summer,” Geale said in a March 14 press release.

Andries Gous, the first round draft pick for the Washington Freedom, played cricket professionally in South Africa for nine years before MLC contacted him and asked him to play in the United States.

Gous said he is excited about the opportunity to play for D.C. with a group of international players.

“It’s awesome to be part of the DC team this year,” Gous wrote to The Hoya. “We have a really good squad, and with some overseas players still getting announced, it will only get better.”

Gous is most looking forward to the high level of competition he will see during the MLC season.

“I am so excited to be playing with some of the best players in the world,” Gous wrote. “To compete with and against the top players in the world is probably for everyone the most exciting thing.”

The MLC draft, in which the six teams selected players from the United States and abroad, took place March 19 in Houston, Texas. The Washington Freedom drafted nine players, including one rookie, Akhilesh Bodugum.

Gous said that while playing with a new team takes some getting used to, he feels that the collaborative dynamic of the team will be strong since many of the players already know one another.

“The benefit of playing in a new team is every person brings a different kind of energy and tactics and skills, and because it is a new team you really want to do well,” Gous wrote. “The challenge is that you don’t always know your fellow players and it can take a couple of sessions to really gel as a group, but the good thing for us is that all our domestic players know each other well, so that will already be a big plus for us.”

Dane Piedt, a former South African cricketer who will also play for the Washington Freedom, said he and the other new players are being given the unique opportunity to shape the future of a team.

“We have the chance to create a culture and style of play that can be a part of the franchise for years to come,” Piedt wrote to The Hoya.

Justin Dill, a South African cricketer who has played in the United States for the past two years, said he is looking forward to learning from fellow players.

“It is such an honor to be a part of the Washington Freedom MLC Team,” Dill told The Hoya. “Being surrounded by such good players is going to be a great experience.”

Piedt said he never thought he would have the chance to play in the United States on a team like the Washington Freedom. 

“It’s a professional league that’s come to America and we are a part of it,” Piedt wrote. “Not in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen.”