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Since 2019, American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) and its affiliates have invested more than USD $150 million into growing cricket in

The Sunoco Minor League Cricket Championship announced today three Bru Cricket for the Community Days that will offer existing and new fans the opportunity to watch the best domestic cricket talent in the country play in a festival atmosphere in Morrisville, NC, Hatfield, PA and Santa Clara, CA.

The events, free for all fans to enter, will include top-level T20 matches featuring international stars, food trucks, music, family activities and fan meet-and-greets with players. Bru Coffee, India’s largest and favorite coffee brand, will be onsite with free samples of their coffee for fans at each event.

The events and matchups are as follows:

Saturday, Sept. 2 – Clemens Park, 500 Fairgrounds Road, Hatfield, PA
10:30 a.m. ET – Philadelphians vs. Empire State Titans
2:30 p.m. ET – Philadelphians vs. New England Eagles
Fans can RSVP for free tickets to the event here.
Saturday, Sept. 9 – Church Street Park, 5800 Cricket Pitch Way, Morrisville, NC
2 p.m. ET – Atlanta Fire vs. Baltimore Royals
6 p.m. ET – Morrisville Raptors vs. Atlanta Lightning
Fans can RSVP for free tickets to the event here.
Saturday, Sept. 16 – Wilson High Field, 1840 Benton St., Santa Clara, CA
9:45 a.m. PT – East Bay Blazers vs. Silicon Valley Strikers
2:00 p.m. PT – Golden State Grizzlies vs. Seattle Thunderbolts
Liam Plunkett, Head Coach of the Philadelphians said:
“Bru Cricket for the Community Days are a fantastic way for fans to experience how much fun Minor League Cricket matches are, with the best T20 players in the country competing along with activities for all the family. Our Philadelphians’ fans had a blast at this event last year and I can’t wait to see even more of them out there on September 2nd at Clemens Park.”

The 2023 edition of MiLC features 26 teams playing nationwide at 17 venues, including 19 matches set to take place at Grand Prairie Stadium, the newly redeveloped premier cricket venue in Grand Prairie, TX.

In addition to Bru, the season’s activities are supported by MiLC partners including title partner Sunoco, the largest fuel distributor in the United States; Laxmi, Official Partner of Minor League and a leading South Asian food brand; Dolphin Media, MiLC’s Outdoor Partner; and Dafanews, a global provider of sports news and analysis.

Fans can follow the action live via free streams on the MLC Network on YouTube throughout the two months of the competition. All matches are free for fans to attend and the full schedule is available at http://www.minorleaguecricket.com.

ABOUT BRU COFFEE

Bru Coffee, established in 1968, is India’s largest and most beloved coffee brand. Known for its shade-grown coffee, with rich taste and irresistible aroma, Bru Coffee has become a staple in Indian households.

Unilever International North America introduced Bru Coffee to the US market in 2018 to cater to the thriving Indian diaspora. Fans can follow Bru Coffee on Instagram and Facebook.

A holiday weekend doubleheader filled with festivities for fans at the Bru Cricket for the Community Day in Hatfield, PA on Saturday resulted in plenty of joy for the hometown fans. On a sun-filled day at Clemens Park, The Philadelphians won a pair of critical matches in the race to the Sunoco Minor League Cricket playoffs.

A vibrant and large local crowd came out for the chance to see international stars, enjoy local food trucks, a kids’ cricket clinic and fan meet-and-greets with players. Bru Coffee, India’s largest and favorite coffee brand, provided free samples of their coffee for fans at the event. Cricket lovers were also able to enjoy giveaways, rice samples and a 360 degree photo booth from Laxmi, an Official Partner of Minor League Cricket and a leading South Asian food brand.

“The Bru Cricket for the Community Day was a fantastic event and we would like to thank our wonderful fans for their support, Parx Casino for backing the team and Hatfield Township for helping us execute this event along with volunteers from SWA International.” said Murali Kailashnath, Founding Partner, The Philadelphians Cricket. “It was an honor for us to host Pennsylvania State Senator Maria Collet and Pennsylvania State Representative Steve Malagari for the ceremonial first ball and coin toss. We can’t wait to continue this annual tradition in 2024 as cricket continues to grow in Pennsylvania and across the United States!”

Coached by England’s World Cup winner Liam Plunkett, the Philadelphians romped to victory in the first match on Saturday, holding the Empire State Titans to a score of only 107 from their 20 overs. Plunkett himself was one of three Philadelphians to take a pair of wickets, along with Juanoy Drysdale and Raj Nannan. It took the hometown team only 10.2 overs to reach the target of 108, led by a blistering 58 from 29 balls by Ryan Scott.

The second match of the day for The Philadelphians against the New England Eagles was a closer affair. The Philadelphians reached 142, Jonathan Foo top scoring with 40 from 28 balls, with Christopher Barnwell taking three wickets for the Eagles. The New England team threatened to chase the target down, but ultimately fell short, losing wickets regularly to end on 123 all out from 18.4 overs. Deveshwari Prashad was the difference-maker in the bowling attack for The Philadelphians, taking four wickets and conceding only 13 runs in his 3.4 overs.

The pair of victories for The Philadelphians sees them lead the Eastern Division standings with five wins from six matches, edging the New Jersey Stallions by one point in the race for the division title and in pole position to qualify for the Sunoco Minor League Cricket playoffs.

Bru Cricket for the Community days continue this weekend in Morrisville, NC, with a doubleheader at Church Street Park this Saturday, Sept. 9, featuring the Atlanta Fire against the Baltimore Royals (2 p.m. ET) and an evening matchup of the hometown Morrisville Raptors versus the Atlanta Lightning (6 p.m. ET).

Minor League Cricket (MiLC) announced today that the third season of America’s most extensive cricket championship will conclude at the nation’s premier cricket venue, Grand Prairie Stadium, in Grand Prairie, TX. The championship final will take place on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets start at only $5 and are available now for purchase here.

Located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Grand Prairie Stadium opened in July 2023, hosting 12 matches in the inaugural season of Major League Cricket (MLC) including the historic championship final on Sunday, July 30. The world class cricket venue will provide the best stage in American cricket for Minor League Cricket to crown a champion following 150 matches across two months of play. MiLC serves as a key pathway to MLC for domestic players, with many of its stars playing in the historic competition earlier this summer.

“The third season of the Sunoco Minor League Cricket championship is being hotly contested by 26 teams across the country and the opportunity to play for the title at Grand Prairie Stadium – the best venue for cricket in the United States – will only heighten the competition as the race for the playoffs intensifies,” said Zubin Surkari, Tournament Director, Minor League Cricket. “We’re excited to bring thrilling T20 action back to the Dallas-area again this summer.”

In addition to top class T20 cricket, fans will be able to enjoy activations from vendors including Sunoco, the title partner of Minor League Cricket, and Laxmi, a leading South Asian food brand.

Minor League Cricket (MiLC) announced today broadcast details for the playoffs of the 2023 Sunoco Minor League Cricket Championship.

The first “Eliminator” stage of the playoffs, featuring six matches from Friday, Sept. 22 to Tuesday, Sept. 26, will be available to watch free on the MLC Network YouTube network.

The following stage of playoffs to take place in Houston, the “Super Four” conference showdowns, will be shown live on Willow TV’s digital platforms in North America from Sept. 27-29. The matches will be accessible free to all fans, with no Willow subscription required to watch.

The winners of each conference will then advance to the Championship final with the game also set to be shown live and free on Willow’s digital platforms. The final will take place at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1 at Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, TX, America’s premier cricket venue. Tickets are on sale now for the final match, starting at only $5.

“We are delighted to be able to partner with Willow TV to bring the finale of a fantastic season of the Sunoco Minor League Cricket Championship to fans across North America,” said Zubin Surkari, Tournament Director, Minor League Cricket. “Grand Prairie Stadium will provide a fantastic stage for the best cricketers in the United States to compete for the national T20 title.”

The two weekends of exciting playoff action will conclude the third season of the Sunoco Minor League Cricket Championship, the most extensive competition in American cricket and a key pathway for players to compete in Major League Cricket.

The 2023 Minor League Season is supported by partners including title partner Sunoco, the largest fuel distributor in the United States; Laxmi, Official Partner of Minor League and a leading South Asian food brand; Bru Coffee, India’s largest and favorite coffee brand; Dolphin Media, MiLC’s Outdoor Partner; and Dafanews, a global provider of sports news and analysis.

The full playoff schedule is available at http://www.minorleaguecricket.com

Ira Gorawara debuts to preview the 2023 Sunoco Minor League Cricket Final set for Sunday, October 1st with the New Jersey Somerset Cavaliers taking on the Dallas Mustangs at 7:00 PM CT at Grand Prairie Stadium. Ira covers how each team got to this point, their previous meetings this season, does a deep dive in to each side’s batting and bowling strengths, and then wraps up with some final thoughts.

For the first time in tournament history, the Minor League Cricket trophy will drift away from the West.

Fifty two days of inter-division play brought eight teams to the forefront to compete in the Super Eights – four each from the Atlantic and Pacific Conferences. And after 12 matches in this phase, the Dallas Mustangs and the New Jersey Somerset Cavaliers have emerged as the 2023 Sunoco Minor League Cricket finalists.

In six matchups between the Pacific Conference’s four title-hopefuls, the East Bay Blazers, Silicon Valley Strikers, Dallas Mustangs and Lone Star Athletics each played one another en route to a clean sweep of the board by the Mustangs.

Behind a destructive 131-run partnership between Andries Gous and Sujith Gowda, and right-arm fast bowler Rushil Ugarkar’s five-fer, the Mustangs’ 182 total proved too formidable a feat Lone Star Athletics to chase. Rumman Raees and Ugarkar’s mastery with the new ball left Lone Star reeling at 28/4 in the sixth over, with its formidable top three batsmen back in the pavilion. The early blows proved effective, as the Athletics succumbed to a 72-run defeat.

Another innings anchored by the Mustangs’ offensive ace clinched the squad’s second victory of the Super Eights. Gous’ 79-not-out showing propelled his side to chase down Silicon Valley Strikers’ 135-run total.

In the Mustangs’ third and final Super Eights contest, Nauman Anwar boasted 89 runs, peppering the mid-wicket and straight boundaries to muster a 152-run total for his side. Raees beat David White’s inside edge early, flattening his middle stump to generate early pressure on the Blazers. Soft dismissals and poor shot selection ensued, eventually cutting the Blazers’ innings short at the 100-run mark.

The battle that unfolded on the other side of the nation presented a hazier picture. In a six-match web of the Atlanta Lightning, Atlanta Fire, The Philadelphians and New Jersey Somerset Cavaliers, none of the teams managed consecutive wins in the Super Eights. And beyond that, one team breached MiLC’s Player Regulations by fielding an ineligible domestic player, resulting in a forfeiture to their adversaries. That team was the New Jersey Somerset Cavaliers – the eventual conference champions and now a finals contender.

But after the forfeited match placed the Cavaliers bottom of the Atlantic Conference table, the squad emerged with relentless zeal in its next two matches.

A double-digit effort by five Atlanta Lightning batsmen amassed a 124-run total for the side, but proved subpar for the Cavaliers, who took just 14.3 overs to complete the chase. Yasir Mohammad’s efforts against the Mustangs will be key in the finals, as the USA team youngster was entrusted with a full quota against the Lightning and kept a tight stump-to-stump line to deliver three wickets.

Atlanta’s other team couldn’t find victory against the Cavaliers either, as the Fire failed to surpass the Cavaliers’ 161-run total with Junaid Nadir Mahsood garnering a four-fer at 5.50. Gajanand Singh’s offensive onslaught saw no end, as the right-hand batsman struck at nearly 200 to culminate in a 72-run exhibition punctuated by 12 boundaries.

Despite the Fire and Cavaliers both ending with four points by the end of the Super Eights, a net run rate of 1.439 landed the Cavaliers with the top spot in the Atlantic Conference.

On the heels of consecutive victories, the Dallas Mustangs and New Jersey Somerset Cavaliers will meet for the 2023 Minor League Finals. Hammad Azam and Syed Najaf Shah will convene for the toss at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium on Sunday evening at 7 p.m.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Dallas Mustangs:

Andries Gous

I’ve said his name and I’ll say it again.
Andries Gous.

Spearheading the league with 515 runs under his belt in the 2023 season, Gous claims a 51.50 average. If this prowess isn’t enough, the batting powerhouse has hoisted his bat at the 50-run mark six times, more than any other batsman this season.

Gous has been ruthless on anything slightly short of a good length and produced a season-high 91 runs directly after an injury to reinforce his aptitude with the bat. Fans in the stands in the long-on and deep mid-wicket region should keep a keen eye out when Gous is at the crease.

Gous will look to set a sturdy platform early in his innings before moving up the gears. The Cavaliers will need to extinguish the Gous party before he sets into overdrive.

Rumman Raees
A versatile wicket-taking prowess characterizes Rumman Raees, whose fast bowling has collected scalps in many forms. Raees has appeared on the international stage in both the T20I and ODI format for Pakistan’s national team and has taken the new ball for the Mustangs this season.

The left-arm bowler’s pace and movement in the powerplay will be essential to construct early inroads into the Cavaliers lineup. Given Kennar Lewis’ strength down the ground, we are unlikely to see anything pitched in Lewis’ half unless Raees goes for the block hole. With the ability to oust some of the league’s highest run-takers, Raees’ ambit for excellence knows no bounds.

New Jersey Somerset Cavaliers:

Kennar Lewis
A quiet Super Eights performance will do little to deter the T20 globetrotter. Kennar Lewis has witnessed a season of ebbs and flows, as his explosive figures with the bat have been scattered between single-digit performances. But still, the 6-foot-4 Jamaican has achieved three half-centuries on tricky wickets, displaying his veteran experience as he combines finesse with power.

The powerful West Indian makes ball striking look effortless and routinely utilizes his powerful slog sweep. The Mustangs’ left-arm spin twins, Ali Sheikh and Nosthush Kenjige, will need to be wary – no boundary seems expansive enough when Lewis is in full flight.

The ball pings sweetly off Lewis’ bat, and it may not be long till he brings that triumphant taste to New Jersey.

Syed Najaf Shah
Despite joining the Cavaliers in just six affairs this season, Syed Najaf Shah has made an immediate impact, surrendering just five runs an over throughout the Super Eights. Having played with the Pakistan U17s, U19s, A-team, and on the first-class circuit, the 38-year-old will bank on his veteran experience in Sunday’s battle.
Shah may not attain the speed of Rumman, but his accuracy will pose a threat to the Mustangs’ top-order. Underestimating Shah’s faculties with the ball may prove costly in the death overs, as the left-arm fast bowler will look to his yorker and off-cutter variations in the end overs.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Nosthush Kenjige vs. Gajanand Singh
A clash of familiar foes in left-arm orthodox Nosthush Kenjige and right-hand batsman Gajanand Singh will ensue Sunday, as the USA teammates are likely to meet on the pitch during the middle overs of the finals. The Mustangs’ Kenjige has proven his ability against top-class batsmen as his league-leading 5.58 economy rate in the 2023 Major League Cricket season was enough to land him a spot in the ILT20 MI Emirates Team. Singh, on the other end, is fresh off a 72-run masterclass at the Cavaliers’ most recent match, a blistering innings that has set the stage for an epic showdown between the two in the finals.

Mustangs’ top four batsmen vs. Cavaliers’ bowling attack
There’s no denying that the Mustangs’ top four batsmen showcase unrivaled talent. But what is the squad’s bellwether could also be its greatest vulnerability. Upwards of 80% of the Mustangs’ totals in each of the Super Eights matchups were amassed amongst these four batsmen. And although the quartet boasts individuals capable of single-handedly steering their side to victory, if the Cavaliers can launch an assertive attack with the ball and snag early wickets, the squad will see one hand on the 2023 trophy early into the finals affair.

Under the lights at America’s premier cricket venue in Grand Prairie, TX, the Lone Star State’s own Dallas Mustangs claimed the 2023 Sunoco Minor League Cricket Championship on Sunday night. The Mustangs’ victory was anchored by a tremendous all-round performance from Nosthush Kenjige, whose 27 runs and three wickets won him Bru Player of the Final honors.

The hometown Mustangs won the toss and elected to bat, but quickly lost star batter Andries Gous in the second over. The Mustangs struggled to score early on, reduced to 46/5 by the end of the 10th over. However, a 56-run lower order partnership between Ali Sheikh and Kenjige gave Dallas a fighting chance, with Sheikh scoring 36 from 25 balls.

Kenjige continued to anchor the inning and contributed 27 before being run out in the twentieth over. The Mustangs reached 121 runs, leaving the Cavaliers what seemed to be a highly attainable target to chase down. For New Jersey, three bowlers — Junaid Nadir Mahsood, Sunny Patel and Adil Bhatti — each claimed two wickets, in an outstanding performance in the field by the Cavaliers.

New Jersey seemed intent on popping the champagne as soon as possible, coming out firing with 38 runs from the first five overs, led by 27 from Kennar Lewis. The champagne was soon put back on ice, though, as Dallas picked up wickets at a rapid rate while clamping down on the Cavaliers’ scoring, including a match-winning bowling performance from Kenjige who conceded only nine runs for his three wickets across four overs.

Ehsan Adil and Hammad Azam also claimed a pair of wickets each as Dallas ran through the New Jersey lineup, bowling out the Cavaliers for only 77 to win by 44 runs and lift the championship trophy under a moonlit Texan sky.

The Mustangs’ victory saw them win the MiLC title for the first time in the tournament’s third season, following victories by the Silicon Valley Strikers in 2021 and the Seattle Thunderbolts in 2022.

There was further hardware awarded to Dallas’ lineup as Andries Gous won the Laxmi Most Valuable Player of the Tournament honors, the South African star leading all-run scorers in MiLC with 516 at a strike rate of 140.98.