T20toBeat

00;00;00;15 - 00;00;26;12
Speaker 1
Hello everyone. Welcome for the first time to T20 to beat with me, your host Du Chatty and my fellow co-host and dear friend Toby Amadou. And in this podcast we explore the exciting new world of T20 in America and the first professional cricket league in the United States. Major League Cricket T20 is fast paced, is fluid and it's fun.

00;00;26;14 - 00;00;33;26
Speaker 1
I hope you'll join us for the ride. I just want to firstly welcome my fellow co-host online today. How's it going, Toby?

00;00;33;28 - 00;00;42;00
Speaker 2
Hey, Jake, doing pretty well man. I am also really excited for some major league cricket this summer. I'm looking forward to a great tournament for listeners.

00;00;42;03 - 00;01;09;12
Speaker 1
learning about MLC for the first time. This is going to be its third season. It started in 2023. First season. Seeing the crowds and the way the people kind of really embraced the tournament and that continued last year as well. When we had the World Cup for the first time in the United States of America, a place like New York holding one of the summit clashes, India-Pakistan and then having MLC follow the.

00;01;09;12 - 00;01;14;28
Speaker 1
It's just been so cool to see the rise of the tournament as a, you know, just year by year.

00;01;15;00 - 00;01;37;16
Speaker 2
Absolutely. You know, as you say, third year going into, kind of a growth opportunity, I think for Major League cricket, they've got some new venues coming in this year. and I think that cricket in America has a pretty bright future. I know that I'm personally really excited about this tournament, because it, it kind of represents like my, you know, for listeners, I am an American.

00;01;37;18 - 00;01;59;08
Speaker 2
So it represents kind of a homegrown tournament here. Obviously, there's, influence from some pretty, pretty big names overseas. But to have T20 cricket here in America, kind of our own domestic tournament to get excited about and to look forward to every summer, that it's not just a one off. It's, Yeah, it's it's pretty special. What do you you know, what gets you excited about T20?

00;01;59;08 - 00;02;03;18
Speaker 2
Why are you tuned in, to play cricket this year.

00;02;03;20 - 00;02;30;27
Speaker 1
I think. No, I just, I think T20 is just a fantastic format for, people to be engaged with all the time. You know, I think it's the one format that, every ball is an event. You know, it's 120 balls per opposition, 12 balls of a T20 innings. That is, there's 10% of the innings. Anything can happen at any time.

00;02;31;00 - 00;02;49;07
Speaker 1
I'm looking forward to the fact that we have some brilliant same talent on show this month. Just like that's the thing I really like about MLC, which is that which makes it stand out from a lot of the other leagues, which is that it's attracting the best names in the world. You know, it's attracting, you know, international cricket captains.

00;02;49;07 - 00;03;14;13
Speaker 1
It is attracting World Cup winners. It is attracting, you know, players at the top of their game. You know, these globetrotting superstars, some people who pioneered the world of T20 when it first begun. and I think we've seen the, the evolution of I daresay time where T20 was, I don't want to say frowned upon, but I guess, you know, people were wondering what this new beast was.

00;03;14;13 - 00;03;37;20
Speaker 1
You know, it's still relatively new, but I think now people realize, man, this is this is the real deal. You know, this is, this is what people want to come and watch. You know, as I said, the boundaries, the the insane fielding everything about it. So I think I'm, I'm really excited for, for the third season. Now, as I said, to see the improvement from the first two years.

00;03;37;22 - 00;03;43;08
Speaker 1
yeah. And I'm really excited for the. How about you, man? What are you looking forward to?

00;03;43;10 - 00;04;01;13
Speaker 2
Well, I think you bring up a great point that this league is attracting some of the biggest names in world cricket, and for me, I didn't grow up with cricket. You know, I'm I'm from America. I was raised with, soccer and little league baseball. those were the sports that I played, and I wasn't very good at either of them.

00;04;01;15 - 00;04;22;22
Speaker 2
but in college, I got introduced to cricket. honestly, through another podcast. and I tuned in for a couple of games. Just kind of curious. And it felt like I was stepping into a whole different world where everybody knows these giant names. There's thousands of fans turning up for T20s and for other formats of the game.

00;04;22;29 - 00;04;45;24
Speaker 2
And there is narrative and there's fun. And as you say, the the game can literally change on every single ball. I think I'm hoping that this third year, the tournament means that there's more people who are like me, who are from the States, who get introduced to cricket, who didn't have it when they were growing up, but find out, like, wow, this actually is a really fun and dynamic sport.

00;04;45;27 - 00;05;05;01
Speaker 2
yeah, I'm, I'm hoping to see, some new U.S fans and then. Yeah, always when you turn in for, a T20, you're hoping for that nail biting game. And I think that there's going to be, a good promise of that this season. There's some huge names that have joined in. there are some recurring faithful that I think are going to bring a lot to each side.

00;05;05;08 - 00;05;17;23
Speaker 2
So yeah, man, I, I'm, I'm excited for what this means for T20 in America, but also just kind of, my own summer. It's kind of a highlight of the year, really, when I get to follow along with this tournament.

00;05;17;25 - 00;05;39;17
Speaker 1
Just a bit of background for me. So I am from London, I live in the UK and this is one of my biggest passions, cricket and just talking about cricket. As I've gotten older, that's only that. Passion has only grown and I have enjoyed countless nights through the roof. I can't really say nights through the early morning. Around times like this.

00;05;39;17 - 00;05;59;27
Speaker 1
It's now 3 a.m. as we are recording the pod for the first time, and I honestly couldn't wish to be doing something more fun. This is what I look for. Whether it's watching cricket, talking about cricket, being able to discuss a motto which is really close to my heart. That's what makes my soul move to do so. I couldn't agree more just to give a background about where Minto we first met.

00;06;00;02 - 00;06;20;13
Speaker 1
So I went to university at Georgetown. I was in Washington, DC for the best part of 3 or 4 years, and we met on campus when I just happened to see this guy wearing the The International Cricket Show of India and being a diehard India cricket fun, it just caught my eye. It was a very what the fudge moment for him.

00;06;20;13 - 00;06;42;16
Speaker 1
Just to be pissy about it, I was like, whoa, this is like a week or two into my come into my campus experience and it was uplifting. I was like, there is a space for cricket here. And we that's how we that's how we hit it off, really. We got to talking about the sport. We realized, you know, just sharing the knowledge that we did and how we felt.

00;06;42;16 - 00;07;09;17
Speaker 1
Cricket also kind of connected us with other parts of our life, whether it was or even our academic life or aspirations and our passions from an extracurricular perspective. it was so much so that's where we met. And that's why this is close to both our hearts, because I think that we've seen there is scope for the sport and for me, I feel the most important thing is that people see it, experience it in the flesh, immerse yourself in what it offers.

00;07;09;17 - 00;07;24;27
Speaker 1
Trust me, you can fall in love with it in the same way that you could fall in love with basketball, with American football, with soccer, all the sports, all the there's space for cricket too. And we will. We look forward to being your guide for MLC this summer.

00;07;24;29 - 00;07;52;14
Speaker 2
Yeah, I'm I'm excited for it, man. I think, you know, you touch on that note of like, our own connection and story with cricket. I think that's been one of the things that I've loved about, T20, about cricket just generally is that it does tend to bring people together, like you and I have seen this time and again, where even if you don't know the rules, and you show up to play a game or watch a game, of cricket, all of a sudden you're invested, because there's people that are cheering you on.

00;07;52;14 - 00;08;12;03
Speaker 2
There's people getting excited, you're making some new friends because there is quite a bit of talking and hanging out that happens, at a T20. and I think that the potential here in the States, or maybe the, the desire here in the States for like more places where people can get together, where people can connect, where people can find a time to take a break.

00;08;12;10 - 00;08;31;15
Speaker 2
T20 provides a really exciting opportunity to do that for new friendships to form. but also, yeah, man, we've got a great season of cricket to look forward to. and just looking ahead into the season, you know, what's, what's different about this third season for you from your perspective?

00;08;31;18 - 00;08;59;09
Speaker 1
Very exciting new development with Oakland Coliseum hosting the first leg of season three of Major League cricket. That's going to be massive, followed by later on in the tournament. Central Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida also, which is in fact hosted international matches for several years now but is now making its first foray into MLC as well. I think that is probably the biggest thing I'm kind of excited for.

00;08;59;11 - 00;09;27;05
Speaker 1
My hope is for particularly California, you know, I'm really excited to see how they embrace T20 and MLC, and particularly with one eye on the Olympics in three years time, when cricket will be returning for the first time in over 120 years. From a strategy point of view, in terms of growing, you know, the popularity of the tournament, I think that would be my biggest, sort of the biggest factor that I'm excited for.

00;09;27;05 - 00;09;28;27
Speaker 1
What about you?

00;09;28;29 - 00;10;02;13
Speaker 2
Yeah. Just to kind of, to speak to that a little bit. I mean, I think if you've never watched a game of T20 or you've never been to a match, man, it is so much energy and excitement. even if you don't know necessarily everything that's going on when you start seeing, that ball fly through the air, when you see people, taking these incredible catches, when you see people, you know, getting really invested in the tactics and there's people cheering around you or when you're watching on TV, even the announcers are getting really into it.

00;10;02;13 - 00;10;32;03
Speaker 2
You can tell that there's energy in the stadium. T20 is really a spectacle. And, I think, what does America love more than spectacle? Honestly, almost nothing. so it's kind of a perfect match. And I think you. Yeah, you bring up a good point with the geography of, of MLC this year, with it being in three different venues, there's opportunity for three different, areas of our country where there is interesting cricket because there's a high population of South Asians.

00;10;32;05 - 00;10;56;16
Speaker 2
But each of those areas is radically different culturally. So I think for me, I'm excited to see what that does for the context of each of the games. You know, the tournament's starting, like you said in California. I think there's a big opportunity there, for some of the West Coast teams to make a big impact, and to show up and then as they move back to the east into Texas and Florida.

00;10;56;18 - 00;11;13;21
Speaker 2
Yeah, I think, you know, Texas already has kind of this history of the past couple of years with MLC being there. I think there's there's going to be people who are looking forward to it coming back. And then Florida. There have been some pretty good international games that have happened in Florida in the not too distant past.

00;11;13;26 - 00;11;18;26
Speaker 2
So it's like, yeah, I think it's kind of got everything going for it. We just need some good weather, you know?

00;11;18;29 - 00;11;30;11
Speaker 1
Totally. That's well, fingers crossed for good weather this summer. I think it usually is. I mean, at least there's one thing I know about California. It's that you couldn't. You couldn't. Pedro bets that there's going to be some lovely weather on the West Coast.

00;11;30;17 - 00;11;43;23
Speaker 2
My gosh, people literally moved their entire lives there just for the constant 70, 75 degree temperature and sun. And so, I mean, what better place to. Yeah, what better place to get outside and watch a game?

00;11;43;25 - 00;12;32;10
Speaker 1
No, I couldn't agree more. I think the it's going to be a beautiful, you know, partnership between the the constant of cricket and sport. And as you said, the wildly ranging, cultural dynamics that will we will see and the shift from the West coast, Oakland in California, to Dallas and Texas and to Florida and just seeing that development alongside the development of the cricket, hopefully, I think that there's going to be a lot of very nuanced layers this year that we probably than haven't, as we said, haven't seen in the first two seasons, because, we now have new venues getting involved.

00;12;32;10 - 00;12;58;04
Speaker 1
So I'm really excited for that. For our listeners joining for the first time, we've got six teams involved in Major League cricket this year, the same six teams that have been there since its inception in 2023 the L.A. Knight Riders, the Los Angeles Knight Riders, the Texas Super Kings, the San Francisco Unicorns, MI, New York or my New York Washington freedom.

00;12;58;07 - 00;13;13;09
Speaker 1
And did I mention the Seattle workers, these all of six teams for Major League cricket this year? and we are going to start with, I think we wanted to look at Seattle, didn't we? Very interesting set of players. You.

00;13;13;11 - 00;13;37;26
Speaker 2
Yeah. Well, I think you know, what's awesome about, this league outside of, you know, the spectacle, the fun. It's like a great summer. you know, just a big slice of watermelon to enjoy. Outside of all of that, these names for these teams are fantastic. Like, are you telling me that there are better team names out there than the Seattle Orcas and the San Francisco Unicorns?

00;13;37;28 - 00;13;40;00
Speaker 2
They're hilarious, and I love it.

00;13;40;06 - 00;13;45;28
Speaker 1
I was about to ask you, actually, before we move forward, which is your favorite name of these six?

00;13;46;00 - 00;14;13;05
Speaker 2
Oh, man, it's so hard. I like, I think obviously the shock value is the San Francisco Unicorns and the fact that they're, fan base is referred to as the Sparkle Army definitely helps. But, I think, Seattle Orcas has to be the best name for me. The best name, the best branding, a sick logo. it's going to be funny to watch people who are, like, known to be aggressive cricketers playing on the unicorns.

00;14;13;05 - 00;14;16;07
Speaker 2
You're like, what is happening? And yet they're giving it their all.

00;14;16;11 - 00;14;24;16
Speaker 1
I think that that's also part of the branding. I mean, if you like the names, then, you know, it's a good way to get people interested. I mean, who all who are the orcas who the unicorns know.

00;14;24;18 - 00;14;40;17
Speaker 2
Yeah, absolutely. And I think what's cool about, as we kind of get into a preview like the Seattle Orcas, you know, there's some really big interest in Major league cricket. I don't know if our listeners are aware, especially if you're from the States, you might not be totally aware of this because it's not, it's not made it into like mainstream reporting.

00;14;40;24 - 00;14;58;15
Speaker 2
But there is some big money being invested by big names in the cricketing world. and there's also, on the Seattle Orcas. One of their principal investors is the CEO of Microsoft. Gee, what the heck's going on with that?

00;14;58;17 - 00;15;18;24
Speaker 1
That blew my mind, bro. I remember I think it was yeah, I remember someone in my family telling me the sale, like, did you know, short term, the dollar is the is part of the ownership of all of the MLC teams. I was like, I was like, who was like, I couldn't believe it. I was like, Microsoft is involved in cricket.

00;15;18;24 - 00;15;41;21
Speaker 1
No. And I think that that's again a pure drawcard for this team and for the league. The, you know, such a huge corporation is now, you know, looking at cricket, you know, as a product, you know, not even just a sport. No. It's also about the overall, you know, the product of you know where can MLC go. And I think that if someone is, you know, prestigious and is, you know, famous as Mr..

00;15;41;27 - 00;15;47;16
Speaker 1
Mr. Nadella being involved in this league that just I think kind of speaks for itself doesn't it.

00;15;47;18 - 00;16;14;18
Speaker 2
It does. One thing to know about the orcas is that they seem to be one of the more developed teams in terms of their brand presence and their involvement in the community. There's more opportunities that I saw, for people to meet, players to be involved at the team. The only thing, to note about the orcas, though, on the field is that in the first edition of the tournament, they were runners up last year, though they finished last and they had a major squad overhaul in the winter.

00;16;14;20 - 00;16;40;26
Speaker 2
And I think that they're going to be hungry for at least getting into the knockout round of this tournament this year. they I think they need that because they are trying to build their own stadium in the next couple of years. and they're trying to generate more and more excitement. So I think, yeah, I think as you kind of watch this team, I think keep an eye out for, some, some big swings, you know.

00;16;40;26 - 00;16;42;16
Speaker 2
What do you think, Gene?

00;16;42;18 - 00;16;53;27
Speaker 1
Yeah. Huge, man. I was about to ask what names can we give our listeners people to watch out for this season? That they can. Their eyes can be drawn to.

00;16;53;29 - 00;17;12;14
Speaker 2
Yeah. Unfortunately, one of my least favorite cricketers out there. I respect the man's talent, but I don't really enjoy the hype. but David Warner is going to be playing, for the orcas this year. And for those who don't know, he is one of the biggest names ever in Australian cricket. he's new to the season or he's near the team this season.

00;17;12;17 - 00;17;29;19
Speaker 2
it's a pretty big deal, I think, you know, as as old as he is, his leadership and his experience and the fact that he just loves playing T20s is going to be a huge asset who's maybe, a key for you or do you have any thoughts on Warner?

00;17;29;21 - 00;17;53;22
Speaker 1
I was just about to say, I was I don't think. Well, hopefully in future episodes we can get into why Warner is maybe not the most or, let's say during his playing career wasn't maybe the most liked cricketer out there. But let's just say for our listeners, for those that don't know, David Warner, he's one of most places he goes, particularly here in the UK.

00;17;53;25 - 00;18;12;24
Speaker 1
he's sort of the pantomime villain character. That's kind of the best way I'd describe him. He's the guy that likes to be the enemy of the crowd, particularly the home crowd, you know, get under their skin. He's one of those kind of players were, I guess the saying goes that you would hate them if you were playing against them, but you would love having them on your team.

00;18;12;26 - 00;18;34;10
Speaker 2
Yeah. As much as he kind of like, you hate to see him succeed because he's just so good and he just gets under your skin. It's like you need characters like that. And I'm so glad that that Major League Cricket has a character like that. And then I think the other thing, to note about the Aukus men, they've got, some huge US stars, on this team.

00;18;34;10 - 00;18;53;00
Speaker 2
I mean, Aaron Jones played a key role in, you know, the US's, like, triumphant World Cup last summer. Obviously. Didn't, you know, win the tournament, but, like, made it way further than anybody thought that they would. They've got the guy Aaron Jones on this team as well as a couple other U.S stars that I think are going to play a big role.

00;18;53;03 - 00;19;13;02
Speaker 1
No, definitely my my guy to watch out for would be Aaron Jones. I think that he yeah, he lit up the first match of the World Cup loss to. It was a rematch of the first ever Cricket international cricket match ever played between the USA and Canada. That was the opening match and Aaron Jones smashed it. It was insane to watch.

00;19;13;02 - 00;19;40;28
Speaker 1
It was the way to kick off the tournament and I would probably use. I'll just take a snippet of the commentary from that day when he, you know, finish the game off the the man on Earth said, excuse me? The commentator said, are you not entertained, America? And I think that was just such a beautiful way to kind of welcome Cricket back on such a globe, on a global stage, that I feel that this is just what so many people have been missing.

00;19;41;02 - 00;20;00;12
Speaker 1
And I think that someone like Aaron Jones is here. He can be the face of, you know, this generation. You know, if cricket in America, after what he did, you know, at the World Cup, you know, being a massive part of that win and I mean, the USA, Pakistan, I mean, in the World Cup, I mean, and he was again front and center of that.

00;20;00;15 - 00;20;18;12
Speaker 1
So I think this is the perfect platform, platform for him to show that he is going to be the sudden, maybe the one of the faces of MLC going forward, maybe, you know, major league cricket legend, we can maybe reflect back on in years to come. You know, we're looking back on this tournament.

00;20;18;14 - 00;20;32;07
Speaker 2
I would hope so. And I think he definitely has that potential. And I think we'll save our, our previews and our official stance on, you know, who do we think's going to, you know, finish where this tournament. But honestly, with the lineup that they have, I think the orcas are a great team to watch.

00;20;32;10 - 00;20;58;12
Speaker 1
No, they're a fantastic team. I think one of the name I'd just point out simply because, yeah, he is the real deal. probably one of the best players in T20 right now and has been for the last couple of years, South African Heinrich Closson, dude, that guy can play. He's a 618 machine. I think the I'm really excited to see him in this tournament.

00;20;58;16 - 00;21;19;03
Speaker 1
I think that he's it's just amazing. I think the and he's the sort of guy I think that people need to see, because they then understand just how impressive it is. The I mean, six everything happens, but this guy's doing it on a regular basis. March off to March and it's the power he generates. It's the you know, he makes it look so easy and he's hitting it.

00;21;19;05 - 00;21;30;16
Speaker 1
You know, he's out of the park. It's not even small. You know, small hits. They are they are home runs for the baseball fans out there. They are legitimate home runs. So I'd mention Henrik Larsson's name to.

00;21;30;19 - 00;21;49;25
Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah. You know, it's funny, about this team, as you were saying, like, you know, he's a dominant name in T20. He's, an amazing player. I was actually having a hard time until you said South Africa. And knowing who you were talking out of this lineup, I kind of thought you were going to say Sikandar Raza, just with his incredible, like, endurance and ability.

00;21;49;25 - 00;21;57;18
Speaker 2
But yeah, Klaassen like, oh my gosh, that guy can hit. It's just he's he's so fun to watch.

00;21;57;21 - 00;22;17;14
Speaker 1
Know he's incredible. Be the big up to Segunda Raza. He's he's you know the champion. And I think that the shadow workers are incredibly lucky to have him on that team. We will now look forward to, I guess, of the team that we probably can call our own, the team that we'll be rooting for. Washington freedom. So just a few things about Washington freedom.

00;22;17;17 - 00;22;43;23
Speaker 1
so they partner with New South Wales Cricket, which is one of the states in Australia. They have an affiliation with them. their owner is an Indian American entrepreneur, Sanjay Gogol. so another businessman that has made his way into the world of cricket, it's another feature, isn't it? Right, man. Like all these guys, all these, all these business people clearly see cricket as a product.

00;22;43;23 - 00;23;04;26
Speaker 1
You know, I just think that whether it's, as I said, whether it's out there. Nadella you know, and just for people that don't know San Diego, he is the founder and chairman of Infinite Computer Solutions. You know, so that's his background. He went to Wharton in Dubai. And it's just incredible to see that these guys come from this background.

00;23;04;26 - 00;23;09;11
Speaker 1
And, you know, they're now making the venturing into cricket.

00;23;09;13 - 00;23;31;23
Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah I, I think it it's a testament to like what they believe the market to be. And certainly I think if it's marketed correctly and if it's put out in front of a wide crowd, it can certainly gain some big appeal here in the States, I think. But yeah, you know, there is the, the dollars and cents side of this game.

00;23;31;25 - 00;23;48;25
Speaker 2
And in Major League cricket there, there's some big money. we'll talk in the next episode when we preview the rest of the teams about the IPL connection. that's a little bit more explicit. And some of the other teams, but, like, even here, you know, you're talking about a guy, which I think this is such a DC thing.

00;23;49;01 - 00;24;08;04
Speaker 2
You're talking about a guy with Sanjay Goel here who didn't want an IPL partner, but actually wanted to have full control over his team and wanted it to represent DC, wanted it to be in, the, you know, the DC area, the DMV, and, I think he's done pretty well for himself getting a partnership with New South Wales.

00;24;08;07 - 00;24;14;20
Speaker 2
and this team, man, they're the they're the reigning champions of this league. So clearly they're doing something right over there in DC.

00;24;14;20 - 00;24;31;16
Speaker 1
They absolutely are. And I think actually, I mean, as much as we love the connections with the IPL, I also respect him for doing that in the sense that he he kind of wants to make his own brand right.

00;24;31;18 - 00;25;07;23
Speaker 2
Yeah, I mean, as you say, like there's you know, there's a huge connection to the Indian Premier League, which is the biggest T20 league, bar none. it's interesting that India does not allow their cricketers, to play in foreign T20 tournaments like the MLC. I'm wondering if that's going to change in the next few years with the influence that, you know, KKR, CSK, Mumbai, that they kind of as teams and organized Asians wield over the BCCi, some influence and some monetary influence.

00;25;07;23 - 00;25;22;13
Speaker 2
I do wonder if we'll see that policy change to allow Indians to participate in major league cricket. But for now, yeah. Washington man. they're they're doing their own thing and it's they're doing pretty well. So who do you, who you watching over here? in Washington?

00;25;22;16 - 00;25;39;00
Speaker 1
I think I'm really looking forward to a player that we both love again. One because he's a bloody good player and also because of his name. Rudra. Shin. Ravindra, I'm really excited to see him. Do you don't tell the audience more about Russian?

00;25;39;02 - 00;26;10;02
Speaker 2
Russian is awesome. He is super young. I don't know exactly how old he is, but he's he's pretty young, he's in his 20s and he is a breakout star for New Zealand. there was a myth going around that, that his dad, had named him for two dominant Indian cricketers of, of a former era, which apparently is untrue, but it's still fun to think that he's got cricket all the way, in his blood and in his name.

00;26;10;05 - 00;26;27;21
Speaker 2
but yeah, man, just his ability, with the bat, and just as a as a young man kind of making his identity known in T20s, I think he is going to be fun to watch. I think the US will be, be a great spot for him to play.

00;26;27;23 - 00;26;57;16
Speaker 1
If you don't mind. Dude, I'm going to. I'm a cherry picker. Just looking at the squad. I'm just going to pick one just because I think he's a freak. also in the field, and I think the for people, you know, still may be getting used to, the rules of T20. The one thing that they will need to kind of be too worried about, maybe sort of understanding or watching is, you know, when they see something insanely athletic and just, wow, in the field.

00;26;57;19 - 00;27;17;20
Speaker 1
And, for that reason, for anyone who who's not watch Glenn Phillips Field, please just watch him this tournament. I promise you that there are going to be some catchers that go on social media. I, I'm calling it, you know, that the audience has to know about him and understanding, obviously. But just as fielding is insane.

00;27;17;22 - 00;27;35;27
Speaker 2
He is reliable in the field in the way that reliable as a word is like defined. If you open the dictionary to reliable, you will find a photo of Glenn Phillips taking a ridiculous catch in a cricket game. He is unreal in the field.

00;27;35;29 - 00;27;59;18
Speaker 1
The other guy I wanted to mention was, Saurabh Netra Volker. Do you know about his back story? Dude, I think the it's an incredible. Do you want to tell the audience? I just think it's such a sweet, such a awesome story that it's so inspiring for people where he's come from in his academics and, you know, his background playing first class cricket in India to then making it big in the US in the World Cup.

00;27;59;20 - 00;28;23;03
Speaker 2
Well, and the guy is correct me if I'm wrong, but the guy's a computer scientist and he works for Oracle. Like, he's got a big time software engineering job, to the point where, and he played in the, the World Cup last summer and, apparently he had requested, you know, time off, you know, to go represent his country in the World Cup, which I'm sure his manager was like, oh, yeah, take all the time you need.

00;28;23;10 - 00;28;49;06
Speaker 2
He had to request extra time because the US was doing so well. so I think it's just this incredible story of this guy who has this insane cricketing ability. you know, you don't represent a national team for nothing. Obviously, the US is not the biggest international team, but it takes a lot to just get on the field, but also, the dude has this incredible ability apparently with computers and software.

00;28;49;06 - 00;29;00;18
Speaker 2
So, yeah, he's he's fun to watch. And I mean, I, I really I wish him nothing but fun and enjoyable season.

00;29;00;20 - 00;29;27;01
Speaker 1
No. Me too. I just think stories like that, they just, they just really capture your heart, you know, I just think that every player in each squad, you know, has a different story to tell. But I think that just something, something is, is is just so cool, you know, from that background to then coming and playing, you know, on the big stage, I can just imagine the cool that must've happened to his other note to his professors or to his boss or he's like, oh, sorry, man.

00;29;27;01 - 00;29;43;26
Speaker 1
Like we actually beat Pakistan. So I think after the World Cup a bit longer. Yeah. Life can't get any better. So yeah, the other thing I just wanted to mention did was have you seen I think this is an I hope one day will fingers crossed you would get the chance. Maybe to go and watch this in person when the time comes.

00;29;43;26 - 00;29;53;04
Speaker 1
Hopefully when it's been developed and built. Have you you've seen the plans for the the stadiums, the, potentially might be built in DC in Maryland.

00;29;53;06 - 00;30;22;12
Speaker 2
Man, I haven't seen the plans, you know, in blueprint form. But, when they were talking about potentially using the ground that is used to be RFK Stadium, that would be sick to have a cricket game happening in the nation's capital. I mean, it would be so awesome that land isn't being used for anything. you know, well, it it is being used, but it's constantly up in the air and it's a battle of, you know, who owns the ground, who can do what with it.

00;30;22;12 - 00;30;32;10
Speaker 2
What is RFK Stadium? It would be a huge win, I think, for the district, to get a, to get a cricket stadium built out there would be awesome.

00;30;32;12 - 00;30;51;01
Speaker 1
No, I would be so excited. Hopefully one day we can then be able to actually see a, you know, T20, you know, a T20 match happen in DC. That would be awesome. That's the and that is the other great thing for I hope that our listeners, will feel too, which is that, you know, hopefully this is the third season.

00;30;51;03 - 00;31;11;26
Speaker 1
there are plans as we know it. The in a few seasons time, we're going to have two more teams join, join Major League cricket. I think that I think it's Chicago in Atlanta if I'm not wrong. but, you know, there is a there is growth is happening in front of our eyes there. There's something there is something cool and special going on before us.

00;31;11;26 - 00;31;39;26
Speaker 1
So I think just watch this space, everyone. I think the hopefully before you know it, in a few years time, you're going to see different cities in the US being acting as the home venues. There's going to be more appeal than of, you know, home matches, away matches going to you know, Washington freedom, going to maybe LA's home ground and, you know, needing to, you know, win against the grain in their home conditions on the West coast to qualify for the final of the tournament.

00;31;39;26 - 00;31;52;02
Speaker 1
You know just a hypothetical. But I think that's the cool thing about, you know, these, you know, new stadiums being built that hopefully there's going to be, you know, it's going to grow the particularly the home fan base for each, team hopefully.

00;31;52;04 - 00;32;18;13
Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah. I think it could be massive. and I think as they figure that out, hopefully there'll be some, some real diehard fans that, emerge kind of in and out of season. So we'll see. one of the great things about T20 is that there's always more of it. And so, you know, if you like one of the players that you see this season in the MLC, there's a good chance that you'll be able to watch that guy play somewhere else in the world.

00;32;18;16 - 00;32;34;21
Speaker 2
as the year goes on. So, that's part of the the fun of kind of that globetrotting T20 lifestyle as we look at it. But man, I think we've got a couple of good teams on the board here. Maybe next time you want to talk about those other four teams and kind of give some of our predictions as we go into the tournament.

00;32;34;24 - 00;32;56;11
Speaker 1
Definitely going off what Toby said about if you like T20, if you like what you heard in this episode, I hope that you will join us as we will be your guides for the summer of American Cricket here on T20 to beat. We are going through the next four teams. So am I. New York, L.A. Knight Riders, Texas Super Kings and the San Francisco Unicorns.

00;32;56;13 - 00;33;19;00
Speaker 1
We are going to, give our predictions to the tournament. We're going to be with you doing preview of of the matches to come, reviews of the legs that have just occurred. We will try and do some live watch alongs as well. Fingers crossed that, oh, that will be lovely and you guys can join us. Any questions that you guys have please hit us up on our Instagram.

00;33;19;02 - 00;33;21;08
Speaker 1
I am at Geet Underscore Shetty.

00;33;21;09 - 00;33;25;18
Speaker 2
You can find me at Toby Amadeo Toby Amodio.

00;33;25;21 - 00;33;42;15
Speaker 1
There you go. I hope you guys, enjoy the tournament. Get behind it. Any questions you guys have for us, please? just share it with us. This is how. This is how we learn as well, through disagreement, through discussion. This is how our opinions on the game will evolve too. So thank you so much, everyone for joining us.

00;33;42;15 - 00;33;45;00
Speaker 1
Anything you want to say to me before we close up for today?

00;33;45;02 - 00;33;54;05
Speaker 2
Nah man, I think I'm excited to check out these other four teams. And then yeah, like you said, if people want to chat, send us some DMs and we'll see you guys next time.

00;33;54;08 - 00;33;56;28
Speaker 1
Awesome. Just a super.

00;33;57;00 - 00;33;57;14
Speaker 2
Quick.