Online betting brand Betway has been named as the main partner of Major League Cricket (MLC), the new US-based men’s domestic Twenty20 competition.
Under the deal, the competition will be characterized as being “powered by Betway.”
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The sponsorship took effect with the first match of the inaugural season took last night (July 13), in which the Texas Super Kings beating the Los Angeles Knight Riders by 69 runs.
It adds to Betway’s existing portfolio of partnerships, which includes existing deals in cricket with Cricket South Africa for one-day international and test matches and as the title sponsor of South Africa’s SA20 franchise-based Twenty20 league.
Elsewhere, it has ongoing deals in place with the likes of UK horse racing’s Grand National, esports’ Ninjas in Pyjamas and Blast, and tennis’ Miami Open, as well as various European soccer teams and NHL ice hockey teams in the US.
Betway joins MLC as its top-tier partner above its second-tier official partners Abound, Royal, Sling, and CloudChef. In addition, the league has tie-ups with Bet Bricks (umpire partner), Mera Hoardings (outdoor partner), and Kloth (umpire and staff apparel supplier).
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By GlobalDataAnthony Werkman, chief executive of Betway, said: “It’s with great pride to announce that we’re powering the inaugural Major League Cricket season; the newest innovative cricket competition in the world.
“Cricket is a globally renowned sport both we and our customers love, so we’re thrilled to be part of another new competition, which will aid the growth of the sport in the US and beyond.”
Sameer Mehta, co-founder of MLC, added: “Major League Cricket is bringing the world’s best cricketers to America, so it is fitting that the historic inaugural season will be ‘Powered by Betway’, who have become a renowned brand supporting global sports properties. We are thrilled by Betway’s commitment to growing cricket in America and we can’t wait for a memorable season to get underway soon.”
MLC’s deal with Betway was announced shortly ahead of the inaugural season along with broadcast deals with Viacom18 in India, ARY Digital Network in Pakistan, and Willow TV in the US.
The six teams competing are Texas Super Kings, Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, and Washington Freedom.
MLC is owned by American Cricket Enterprises, a group that is backed by Mehta and Srinivasan. The company won a competitive tender in May 2019 to fund and develop a professional T20 league in the US. MLC has been planning to deploy more than $120 million to launch this year.
