Major League Cricket (MLC) and Cognizant announced an agreement for the professional services company to become the title sponsor of America’s professional cricket championship.
Cognizant Major League Cricket will return for its second season this summer, kicking off on July 4. MLC expands Cognizant’s sports sponsorship portfolio, which spans across the PGA, LPGA, Aston Martin Formula 1 (AMF1) team, SailGP, and the English Football Association, representing a combination of interest and passion of its clients for inspiration and energy that sports provides. Cognizant’s sponsorships are aligned with its goals of showcasing the parallels between sport and technology and increasing diversity and inclusion in both arenas.
“Major League Cricket is thrilled to welcome Cognizant as our title sponsor, starting with season two of MLC this summer. This multi-year partnership will help enable the continued growth of MLC and cricket in America as this new era in the United States for the sport continues to bloom,” Vijay Srinivasan, co-founder, Major League Cricket, said.
All six teams who competed in MLC’s inaugural season will feature again in 2024. Returning players already announced to compete include Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (MI New York), South Africa’s Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings), Marco Jansen (Washington Freedom) and Quinton de Kock (Seattle Orcas), Pakistan’s Haris Rauf (San Francisco Unicorns) and Sunil Narine (LA Knight Riders) of the West Indies.
“Cognizant is excited to support Major League Cricket’s vision, inspiring the next generation of cricket players. Our extended relationship with MLC will help us create deeper connections with our clients and associates while giving back to the communities where we work and play through outreach and education to help invite historically excluded groups into sports and technology,” Ravi Kumar S, chief executive officer, Cognizant, said.
MLC’s debut season in 2023 transformed the landscape of American cricket, bringing domestic T20 to the United States with most of the matches played in Texas and North Carolina. MI New York claimed the inaugural championship crown, defeating the Seattle Orcas in the championship final on July 30 at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium.