The Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 season has come to an exciting end! MI New York claimed the title after a thrilling final against Washington Freedom, winning by just 5 runs at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
Rushil Ugarkar was named Player of the Match for his outstanding bowling, while Mitchell Owen took home Player of the Series for his all-round performance.
So far, MLC has had three seasons, with past winners being MI New York (2023), Washington Freedom (2024), and now MI New York (2025) again.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at all MLC winners and how they triumphed in their final matches.
MLC Winners (2023-2025)
Major League Cricket in the USA has had two different title winners. Washington Freedom and MI New York have both claimed the titles so far in the competition after three successful three-year periods.
Take a look at the three MLC seasons, along with their winners and runners-up.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | MI New York | Seattle Orcas |
| 2024 | Washington Freedom | San Francisco Unicorns |
| 2025 | MI New York | Washington Freedom |
MI New York is the most successful team in the USA’s top franchise T20 competition. More seasons are coming. The other teams will update this list too.
1. MI New York (2023)
Cricket in the USA got a major boost in 2023 with the launch of Major League Cricket, and MI New York wasted no time making history by becoming the very first champions.
Their season started pretty average and they finished fourth on the points table after the group stage. But when it came to knockout time, they turned it on. They smashed it in the eliminator, bossed qualifier 2, and booked their spot in the big final.
On July 30, 2023, in Dallas, MI, New York took down the Seattle Orcas in style. Chasing 184, they wrapped it up in just 16 overs, winning by seven wickets. The hero? Captain Nicholas Pooran, who played one of the most outrageous T20 knocks you’ll see, 137* off just 55 balls. It was pure power-hitting, and he made the chase look like a walk in the park.
2. Washington Freedom (2024)
The 2024 MLC Champions, Washington Freedom, played the best cricket of the season and finished at the top of the table with five wins in seven games.
In the final match of 2024, Washington Freedom defeated the San Francisco Unicorns by 96 runs. This marks the largest margin of victory in the three MLC finals to date.
Washington Freedom secured the win thanks to their captain Steve Smith, who led the team to another victory like the previous season.
Smith scored 88 runs off 52 balls. A late push from Glenn Maxwell, who made 40 runs off 22 balls, helped Freedom set a tough target of 208 runs for the Unicorns. The Washington Freedom bowling unit was motivated and limited their opponents to just 111 runs.
3. MI New York (2025)
MI New York lifted their second title of the Major League Cricket in 3 years after beating Washington Freedom by five runs in the final match of the 2025 season.
MI New York’s season was like a rollercoaster ride. After having a good start, they failed to capitalize on it and faced some defeats during the middle part of the tournament. But the experienced players within the squad and their performances, including Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, and Kieron Pollard, led their comeback and won back-to-back matches in the Eliminator and Qualifier 2.
They faced the table topper from the season, but outclassed the Washington Freedom after restricting them from chasing a target of 181. Quinto de Kock started the surge for the MI side, and his 77 off 46 helped them post a total of 180/7 in 20 overs.
The chase was seen making some trouble for MI when Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips steadied the ship after Trent Boult’s early blows. But they came out victorious after some disciplined bowling performances at the back end of the game.
MLC 2025 Season Summary
USA Cricket has successfully completed its third season of Major League Cricket as the MI New York became champions of the 2025 season.
The season was no short of excitement and entertaining cricket; the season consistently provided close finishes and top individual performances.
Take a look at the Points table of MLC 2025.
| Team | Matches | Win | Loss | N/R | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSF | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 16 | +0.954 |
| TSK | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | +1.603 |
| SF | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | +1.330 |
| MI NY | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | -0.518 |
| SEO | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | -1.842 |
| LAKR | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 | -1.320 |
MI New York’s Monank Patel is at the top of the runs chart with 478 runs from 13 matches. The USA captain has performed steadily for the champion side.
Xavier Bartlett of San Francisco Unicorns is leading the wickets taken list with 18 wickets.
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Conclusion: MLC 2025 ends with MI New York on top
The MLC 2025 season ended with MI New York claiming their second title, defeating Washington Freedom by just 5 runs. This makes them the first two-time champions in the league’s short history. Over three seasons, MLC has delivered thrilling matches, standout performances, and unforgettable moments, helping grow cricket in the United States.
With strong franchises, strategic partnerships, and rising fan engagement, the league is shaping a professional cricket ecosystem in a non-cricketing nation. As MLC continues, it is set to introduce new teams, rivalries, and champions, gradually establishing itself as a global T20 platform and a major force in American cricket.
FAQs
MI New York won their second title by defeating Washington Freedom by 5 runs in a last-over thriller (June 12–July 13, 2025).
MI New York (2 titles)
Faf du Plessis (TSK) scored the most runs in MLC, 934 runs from 2023 to 2025.
