SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 13, 2024 – Major League Cricket (MLC) and Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) announced today an agreement for the professional services company to become the first-ever title sponsor of America’s only world class professional cricket championship.

Cognizant Major League Cricket will return for its second season this summer, kicking off on July 4 and again bringing the world’s best cricketers to the United States for multiple weeks of high-adrenaline T20 cricket action.

“Major League Cricket is thrilled to welcome Cognizant as our title sponsor, starting with season two of MLC this summer,” said Vijay Srinivasan, co-founder, Major League Cricket. “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 world’s second-largest sport continues to bloom.”

“Cognizant is excited to support Major League Cricket’s vision, inspiring the next generation of cricket players,” said Ravi Kumar S, Chief Executive Officer, Cognizant. “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.”  

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 the interest and passion of its clients for the inspiration and energy that sports provides. Cognizant’s sponsorships are aligned to its goals of showcasing the parallels between sport and technology and increasing diversity and inclusion in both arenas.

All six teams who competed in MLC’s historic inaugural season will feature again in 2024. Returning superstar players already announced to compete include Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (MI New York), South Africans 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.

MLC’s debut season in 2023 transformed the landscape of American cricket, bringing world class domestic T20 action to the United States for the first time with most of the matches played in front of sold-out crowds in Texas and North Carolina. Dozens of the world’s best cricketers competed alongside the nation’s top domestic talent across 19 matches. MI New York claimed the inaugural championship crown, defeating the Seattle Orcas in the championship final on July 30 at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium.

The 2024 MLC season will include matches returning to Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Grand Prairie, TX and at additional venues to be named later. More details on the 2024 season will be announced soon.