2026 · United States
MLC 2026 news and season updates
Los Angeles Knight Riders won their first Major League Cricket title by one run against Washington Freedom on 18 July. This dated MLC 2026 record follows the competition from its expanded California venue plan through all four playoffs, the championship result and the official post-season review.
Completed 18 June – 18 July
What were the defining MLC 2026 developments?
The six teams completed 30 league matches before a Qualifier, Eliminator, Challenger and Final at Oakland Coliseum. San Francisco Unicorns topped the league table, but second-placed Los Angeles used the Qualifier route to reach the Final and then defended 164 against Washington.
The season also opened two new California chapters: Oakland hosted MLC league cricket and all four playoffs, while Knight Riders Cricket Field in Pomona staged a seven-match leg. The official review recorded a 10,693 crowd for the Final.
Confirmed announcements
MLC 2026 result and announcement timeline
Official season review records a landmark fourth edition
MLC's post-season review confirmed Los Angeles' first championship, a 10,693 Final crowd, nine individual centuries, two hat-tricks and the tournament's major batting and chase records.
Open the official record ↗Los Angeles win their first MLC title by one run
LA Knight Riders were dismissed for 164 before holding Washington Freedom to 163/9. Sunil Narine took 3/13, earned Player of the Final and helped close a one-run championship defence.
Open the official record ↗Washington reach a third consecutive MLC Final
Washington made 238/6 and beat San Francisco by seven runs in the Challenger. Matt Short's unbeaten 121 left the chase at 231/6 but could not overturn Washington's total.
Open the official record ↗Washington complete a record 270 chase in the Eliminator
MI New York posted 266/9, but Andries Gous made 132 and Steve Smith 110 not out as Washington reached 270/4 in 18.4 overs. The match contained three centuries and 51 sixes.
Open the official record ↗Los Angeles take the direct route to the Final
LA Knight Riders made 187/3 and restricted San Francisco to 180/4 in the Qualifier. Andre Russell's unbeaten 62 and Rovman Powell's 50 not out built the seven-run win.
Open the official record ↗The league stage closes with a three-way tie on 12 points
San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington each finished 6–4. Net run rate placed them first, second and third, while MI New York took the fourth playoff place on ten points.
Open the official record ↗Seattle defend 121 in a nine-run Pomona win
Seattle Orcas made 121/9 and dismissed Texas Super Kings for 112. Dasun Shanaka took the final four wickets in four balls to complete the lowest successful defence of the season.
Open the official record ↗Major League Cricket begins its first Pomona leg
Knight Riders Cricket Field opened its seven-match run with Los Angeles against Washington. The new Southern California stop joined Grand Prairie and Oakland on the completed 2026 route.
Open the official record ↗Mitchell Owen sets a new MLC individual-score record
Owen struck 155 as Washington posted 245/5 and beat MI New York by 30 runs. The innings remained the highest individual score in MLC history at the season cutoff.
Open the official record ↗Texas open the season with a 221 chase
Seattle Orcas made 220/2, but Faf du Plessis hit an unbeaten 113 as Texas Super Kings reached 221/4 in 18.3 overs. The innings also took du Plessis past 1,000 career MLC runs.
Open the official record ↗MLC publishes the complete 34-match calendar
The announced route opened at Grand Prairie on 18 June, moved through Oakland and Pomona, returned to Texas and placed all four playoffs at Oakland from 15 to 18 July.
Open the official record ↗Pomona is added as a first-time MLC venue
MLC announced a five-day, seven-match leg at Knight Riders Cricket Field at Fairplex from 1 to 5 July, establishing the competition's first Southern California venue.
Open the official record ↗Four Oakland knockout matches
How did Los Angeles and Washington reach the MLC Final?
Los Angeles beat league leaders San Francisco by seven runs in the Qualifier and advanced directly. Washington entered from third, completed a six-wicket Eliminator chase against MI New York and then defended 238/6 against San Francisco in the Challenger.
That left Los Angeles with one playoff win before the Final and Washington with two on consecutive days. Washington came within one run of a third straight championship appearance ending in a second title, but Narine and Jason Holder each took three wickets in the successful defence.
Scorecard-backed season marks
Which MLC 2026 performances changed the record book?
Mitchell Owen's 155 established a new MLC individual high. The Eliminator then produced the highest successful chase in T20 history at 270/4, with centuries from Gous and Smith after Nicholas Pooran had made another hundred for MI New York.
The official season review counted nine centuries and two hat-tricks across the competition. Those records are kept separate from the final aggregate leaders: Gous finished with 547 runs, while Narine, Ottniel Baartman and Andre Russell shared the wicket lead on 18.
Nineteen California matches
What changed in MLC's 2026 venue footprint?
Oakland Coliseum hosted eight league matches and all four playoffs. Pomona's Knight Riders Cricket Field hosted seven league games, taking California's share to 19 of the tournament's 34 matches; Grand Prairie staged the other 15.
The two California grounds used Pacific Time while Grand Prairie used Central Time. The complete results archive preserves the local start time and ground for each match rather than treating one displayed clock time as a nationwide US start.
Completed-season boundary
What belongs in the MLC 2026 update timeline?
The timeline keeps official announcements and match events that changed the 2026 season record: the venue plan, schedule, significant league results, table closure, playoffs, title and official review. It does not reproduce every interview, sponsor item or highlight clip.
Post-season franchise tours, later leadership changes and any future MLC schedule belong to their own dated records. They do not rewrite the completed 2026 results, table or player totals unless an official correction changes this season's archive.
Page record
Sources and update date
Prepared by StumpScope Cricket Desk. Season information updated 17 August 2026.