Los Angeles Knight Riders

Last updated

Los Angeles Knight Riders
Los Angeles Knight Riders logo.png
League Major League Cricket
Personnel
Captain Sunil Narine
Owner Knight Riders Group [1]
Team information
City Los Angeles, California, United States (planned)
ColoursPurple and Gold
  
Founded2020 (2020)
Home ground Great Park Cricket Stadium (planned)
Capacity10,000 (planned)
Official website https://www.lakriders.us/
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T20 kit

The Los Angeles Knight Riders, sometimes shortened to the LA Knight Riders, are an American professional Twenty20 cricket team that competes in Major League Cricket (MLC). [2] The team plans to be based in Los Angeles, California and was originally announced in 2020 as a team to play in Major League Cricket. [3] The Knight Riders are owned by the Knight Riders Group. [4]

Contents

The team plans to have their home ground at Great Park in Irvine, California. [5] The stadium is expected to cost $30 million and seat upwards of 10,000 spectators once its completion around 2024 and 2025. [6] The Knight Riders' minor league affiliate—the SoCal Lashings also separately play in MLC's developmental league, Minor League Cricket. [7]

Franchise history

Background

In December 2020, it was announced by Major League Cricket that the Knight Riders Group had bought a stake in their league, and as a result, was given ownership rights to the LA Knight Riders. [8] [9] Plans for the team were reaffirmed in April 2021 with CEO Venky Mysore stating that the team would even have their own stadium. [10] More plans on this stadium would be revealed nearly a year later in April 2022, with plans for a 10,000-seat cricket stadium costing $30 million. [11] [12]

In July 2022, Mysore reaffirmed once again his intent of starting a brand in L.A. stating that, "we [the Knight Riders Group] also made a big investment in... MLC where we were involved from the inception of the idea. We'll be setting up [the] LA Knight Riders and we're also building a stadium [there]...". [13] In November later that year, the 2023 season of MLC was officially announced. [14] Shortly thereafter, in March 2023, more information about the LA Knight Riders was revealed, including the unveiling of its team logo. [15] [16]

Season History

2023 season

Prior to the launch of the official season, it was announced the MLC's inaugural domestic draft would take place on March 19, 2023. [17] The Knight Riders had the final pick of the draft and selected the Hurricanes' Ali Khan as their first draft pick. [18] Over the course of the draft, the Knight Riders picked up various players including the likes of Unmukt Chand, Corné Dry, and Saif Badar. [19] The Knight Riders announced their full squad on June 13, with England's Jason Roy, Australia's Adam Zampa, West Indies' Sunil Narine and New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson all in the mix. [20] Mysore, upon the squad's unveiling, stated that, "we have assembled a strong and talented team for the debut season of MLC, who can compete at the highest level and bring joy to cricket fans around the world". [21] On July 10, team management announced that Narine would lead the team as the captain and that Phil Simmons would be the team's head coach. Alongside Simmons, Bharat Arun and Ryan ten Doeschate were subsequently announced as the team's bowling and batting coaches, respectively. [22]

Current squad

Los Angeles Knight Riders roster
PositionNameNationalityDate of birth (age)Batting styleBowling styleYear signedNotes
Batters Jason Roy Flag of England.svg  England July 21, 1990 (age 33)Right-handedRight-arm medium2023Direct signing
Nitish Kumar Flag of the United States.svg  United States May 21, 1994 (age 29)Right-handedRight-arm off-break2023
Saif Badar Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan July 3, 1998 (age 25)Right-handedRight-arm legbreak2023
Unmukt Chand Flag of India.svg  India March 26, 1993 (age 31)Right-handedRight-arm off-break2023
All-rounders Andre Russell WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies April 29, 1988 (age 35)Right-handedRight-arm fast2023Direct signing
Shadley van Schalkwyk Flag of the United States.svg  United States August 5, 1988 (age 35)Left-handedRight-arm medium2023
Sunil Narine WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies May 26, 1988 (age 35)Left-handedRight-arm off-break2023Direct signing; Captain
Matthew TrompFlag of South Africa.svg  South Africa April 1, 2005 (age 19)Right-handedRight-arm medium-fast2024
Wicket-keepersAditya GaneshFlag of India.svg  India October 9, 1991 (age 32)Left-handed2024
Bowlers Adam Zampa Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia March 31, 1992 (age 32)Right-handedRight-arm legbreak2023Direct signing
Ali Khan Flag of the United States.svg  United States December 13, 1990 (age 33)Right-handedRight-arm fast-medium2023
Corne Dry Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa February 4, 1993 (age 31)Right-handedRight-arm fast-medium2024released & re-drafted in 2024
Spencer Johnson Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia December 16, 1995 (age 28)Left-handedLeft-arm fast2023Direct signing
Derone Davis WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies October 14, 1992 (age 31)Left-handedSlow left-arm orthodox2024

Administration and support staff

Seasons

Seasons

YearLeague standingFinal standing
2023 6th out of 6League stage

Season summary

YearPlayedWinsLossesTied/NR
2023 5140
Source: ESPNCricinfo [24]

Note:

See also

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References

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