History
Background
In May 2022, Major League Cricket announced that it had secured $120 million from various investors across the United States. [6] One of these investors was Sanjay Govil, who was later announced to be the lead investor and owner of the Washington DC–based franchise team. [7] Alongside MLC, Govil partnered up with George Mason University to launch a feasibility study into a 12,000-seat hybrid cricket/baseball stadium later that year in December. [8] [9] The proposed stadium would host both cricket and baseball games and support up to 12,000 spectators upon its completion in summer 2025. [10] [11] George Mason University announced in March 2024 that it would not proceed with the stadium. [12]
In February 2023, Major League Cricket announced that Govil had entered a partnership with Cricket New South Wales to help accelerate the growth of the DC-based franchise. [13] The agreement included initiatives to further player development opportunities, as well as cricket content, within the U.S., an exchange program of coaches and support staff, and opportunities for NSW-based players to play in MLC. [14] Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon stated that "... he [Govil] was very keen to not have an IPL partner... [and wanted to] partner with someone outside who could really bring what we wanted to the table." [15]
In March 2023, the team's name, the Washington Freedom, and logo were officially revealed to the public. [16] Upon the unveiling of the team name and logo, Govil said that, "the team's mark and colors are a perfect for a team from the nation's capital to compete on the global stage." [17]
2023 season
The Freedom had the second overall pick of the MLC's inaugural domestic draft and selected Thunderbolts vice-captain Andries Gous as their first draft pick. [18] Dane Piedt, Mukhtar Ahmed, and Saad Ali were also all picked up by the team, with Sri Lanka international Wanindu Hasaranga (who later pulled out of the competition) and South African quick Anrich Nortje both being announced as direct signings during the draft. [19] [20] Marco Jansen, Glenn Phillips, and Adam Milne were all also announced as direct signings in May. [21] [22] The team then later announced it would be led by Sixers captain Moises Henriques. [23] Shortly after, they announced that they had appointed Greg Shipperd as their head coach and Dale Steyn as their bowling coach. [24] Later the following month, they announced Josh Philippe, Ben Dwarshuis, and Akeal Hosein all as additional direct signings. [25] [26] Tanveer Sangha was signed in the days leading up to the tournament as a replacement for Hasaranga, while Matthew Short was added to the squad as an injury replacement for Josh Philippe.
Freedom's season started with a narrow defeat against Seattle Orcas, before they bounced back in the second fixture against Texas Super Kings, winning by six runs thanks to a fantastic all-round bowling display that backed up 80 off 50 balls from Matt Short.
Two more wins would follow against LA Knight Riders and San Francisco Unicorns, before a defeat at the hands of MI New York would see Freedom forced to settle for a place in the third v fourth Eliminator fixture in Finals week. The highlight of Freedom's group stage campaign came against the Unicorns, where Saurabh Netravalkar starred with an outstanding bowling performance, claiming 6-9 as Freedom successfully defended 133.
2024 season
In December 2023, it was announced that the second season of the tournament would begin on July 4, 2024, four days after the conclusion of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. [27]
On February 15, 2024, the retained overseas players' Akeal Hosein and Marco Jansen Retained. On March 1, 2024, the domestic player retention list was announced. Andries Gous Obus Pienaar, Mukhtar Ahmed, Saurabh Netravalkar, Justin Dill, Akhilesh Bodugum. [28]
The domestic players' draft was virtually held on March 21, 2024, with a total of 20 players being picked by the teams over 10 rounds. [29] An additional draft is scheduled for June 16 in order for teams to complete their squads. [30]
Ian Holland, Amila Aponso, Lahiru Milantha and Yasir Mohammad were prominent names picked in the domestic round of the draft. [31]
The following players were directly signed by teams ahead of the 2024 season. Rachin Ravindra, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Lockie Ferguson, Andrew Tye and Jack Edwards was also announced as another overseas signing by the Freedom. [32]
During the 2024 campaign, the Freedom went top of the table by recording a 4 runs win over the MI New York, a no-result with the Texas Super Kings, a 5-wicket win over the Seattle Orcas, an 8-wicket win over the Los Angeles Knight Riders, a 94 runs win over the MI New York, and a 42 runs win over the Texas Super Kings. However, the Freedom's unbeaten streak was snapped with a 6-wicket defeat to the San Francisco Unicorns in the last game of the regular season. Their 5-1-1 record earned the Freedom a first-place finish going into the playoffs. In the MLC championship final, the Freedom defeated the Unicorns by 96 runs to win their first title under captain Steve Smith. [33]
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