3 reasons why Texas Super Kings are favourites to win the inaugural Major League Cricket season
The inaugural edition of the Major League Cricket tournament will kick off on July 14 and the event will run for more than two weeks, with the Final slated for July 31. The six teams that will compete for the trophy are: Texas Super Kings, Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, and Washington Freedom.
The leaders of the six teams are: Faf du Plessis (TSK), Sunil Narine (LAKR), Kieron Pollard (MINY), Aaron Finch (SFU), Moises Henriques (WF), and Wayne Parnell (SO).
While all the six sides are quite balanced, the Texas Super Kings, led by the experienced Faf du Plessis, look like the team to beat in the MLC.
Here, we look at three reasons why the Texas Super Kings are the favourites to win the inaugural season of the MLC:
#1 Highly experienced squad
The Texas Super Kings have a bunch of players who are very experienced. The likes of David Miller, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Daniel Sams, Devon Conway, and Rusty Theron have been around the circuit for a while now.
Miller has played 446 T20s, du Plessis 343, Bravo 558, Santner 168, Sams 138, Conway 156, while Theron has featured in 129 games in the shortest format.
Moreover, all of them have been a part of the Indian Premier League at some point or the other and that is an important point. Their experience will be a priceless asset as the Super Kings franchise looks to taste success in the first season of Major League Cricket.
#2 Captaincy
In Faf du Plessis, the Texas Super Kings have a skipper who leads through his actions. Faf is easily one of the best players in the world even though he is at the wrong end of his 30s. He recently enjoyed a great run in the IPL, having fallen just short of winning the Orange Cap.
He was the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and even though the side failed to make the playoffs, Faf's tactical smarts were extremely impressive.
He has led quite a few other teams, including his national side in the past, which will hold him in good stead in the MLC. To add to it, his calmness and level-headed nature is something that will rub on his teammates and help the team as a whole.
#3 World-class death bowlers
TSK have a set of death bowlers who are not only experienced but have a reputation of executing yorkers well more often than not. Gerald Coetzee is one of the most impressive prodigies going around at the moment and his form coming into the MLC has been impressive. That he was overlooked by the IPL teams was a massive shock for fans and pundits.
Daniel Sams has a brilliant record in the death overs and has emerged as a wicket-taking option for all the teams that he plays for. He is currently a crucial member of Kent in the T20 Blast in which he has got the better of some of the best power hitters going around.
Then, there is Dwayne Bravo who needs no introduction. He has been integral to the franchise's success in the IPL and the owners will hope for him to deliver in America as well. Rusty Theron just adds to their stocks. Therefore, they will be one of the most feared bowling line-ups in the tournament.