After winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last month, Ambati Rayudu is now set to feature in the upcoming Major League Cricket (MLC) T20 league as part of the Texas Super Kings.
Joining Rayudu, who retired from the game after IPL 2023 and will play his first franchise league competition outside India, in MLC 2023 are his CSK teammates Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner of New Zealand.
Conway was the Player of the Match in the three-day IPL 2023 final, caused due to rain at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, scoring a quick 25-ball 47 in CSK’s successful chase of 171 in 15 overs, where Rayudu also hit a quick eight-ball 19.
The side will be coached by Stephen Fleming, who is also the CSK head coach and of Johannesburg Super Kings in SA20. Dwayne Bravo, who was CSK’s bowling coach during their IPL 2023 triumph, will turn out for the Texas franchise as a player in MLC 2023.
South Africa players David Miller and Gerald Coetzee, along with Australia’s pace all-rounder Daniel Sams, will also play for the Texas franchise. Coetzee had turned out for Jo’burg Super Kings in this year’s SA20.
Eric Simmons and Albie Morkel will be assistants to Fleming. During the MLC player draft in March, the franchise signed up former international players Sami Aslam and Rusty Theron, as well as Saiteja Mukkamalla, Milind Kumar, Cody Chetty, Calvin Savage, Zia Shehzad, Cameron Stevenson and Lahiru Milantha.
In the inaugural six-team league set to be played from July 14-31, Texas Super Kings will be taking on Los Angeles Knight Riders at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas on the first day of the competition. Other teams in the competition include Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, Washington Freedom and Seattle Orcas.
The squad size of all six teams can be a maximum of 19 players, of which nine can be overseas players. A maximum of six international players are permitted in the playing XI, with five domestic players to always feature in each match and ten domestic players on each roster.
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