Major League Cricket ‘can be right up there’ with IPL, says former England World Cup winner Liam Plunkett

Former England fast bowler Liam Plunkett says Major League Cricket can be “just behind” the Indian Premier League.

The MLC could become the biggest T20 franchise tournament in the world the 38-year-old said, following Texas Super Kings’ victory over Los Angeles Knight Riders by 69 runs in the opening match in Dallas.

Plunkett is set to make his debut for San Francisco Unicorns on Friday and has predicted a bright future for the league.

“It can be right up there just behind the IPL,” Plunkett said. “Obviously it will be hard to overtake the IPL but MLC is being taken very seriously and America is the biggest place in the world for sport.

“Let’s see where that ceiling is. Nobody knows and that’s the exciting part, it is unknown. There’s huge potential.”

The MLC is a new T20 league in the USA which consists of a 19-game season played over two and a half weeks and features six teams.

MI New York, Texas Super Kings, Los Angeles Knight Riders, Seattle Orcas, San Francisco Unicorns and Washington Freedom will battle it out for the inaugural MLC trophy.

There was a no lack of passion on the field as seasoned T20 franchise and international players took part in the highly anticipated opening fixture at the 7,000-capacity Grand Prairie Stadium – just hours after a $20m redevelopment was completed.

Plunkett moved to the US with his American wife to take part in the new league and says there could be lucrative spin-offs for cricketers following the development and growth of MLC.

“Away from cricket, there are all sorts of different sponsorships and partnerships,” said the 2019 World Cup winner. “Who knows where that is going to take some of the superstars of the game?

“When Americans get excited about something, they go above and beyond. Like the Indians, they are very passionate.

“With these players coming across, it shows there’s a massive excitement. They want to be here because if it takes off, it could be huge.”

The former England star would be keen to see the country’s top players compete in future editions of the franchise but is wary of the clash with the English summer.

Jason Roy is the only other English representative to be featured in the MLC and said his “priority is England” with a 50-over World Cup in October coming up.

But Roy could earn more than double the deal he had with the England and Wales Cricket Board – which he cancelled to compete in the tournament.

“It is trickier depending on what the contract situation is,” Plunkett added. “If you feel like you are not getting paid your worth playing for England and a competition pops up which is twice your contract, then it can be conflicting.

“At the end of the day, you play cricket for the love of it but it’s like boxing prize money. You play because you love it, but also because it pays the bills.

“It’s going to be a tricky situation. The players are going to have some decisions to make. Especially for those playing in the franchise stuff back home.

“If you know if you can come across for a three-week period and get paid twice as much, then people are going to have to make difficult decisions.”