MLC 2023: Seattle Orcas sign Sikandar Raza ahead of inaugural edition

Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise, Seattle Orcas have officially acquired the services of Zimbabwe star all-rounder, Sikandar Raza, ahead of the inaugural edition of the tournament. The first season of the MLC is scheduled to commence on July 13, at the Grand Prairie Stadium, in Grand Prairie, Texas.

With less than two months for the event to kick-start, Seattle took to their social media handle to drop the exciting update regarding their new signing. The franchise signed the services of Sikandar Raza in order to further bolster their setup.

Seattle Orcas@MLCSeattleOrcas

Fireworks🎇🎆 Pending... Zimbabwe's explosive all-round talisman is psyched to set #MLC2023 alight 💥 Help us in welcoming @SRazaB24 to the Seattle Orcas 🙌🏽 #MeetTheOrcas #SeattleOrcas #MajorLeagueCricket

08:39 PM · May 15, 2023

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“Fireworks Pending...Zimbabwe's explosive all-round talisman is psyched to set #MLC2023 alight. Help us in welcoming @SRazaB24 to the Seattle Orcas,” captioned the franchise on Twitter.

Raza is currently plying his trade with the Punjab Kings in the ongoing IPL 2023 and has collected 139 runs in seven appearances coupled with three wickets. Moreover, in 179 T20s, Raza has 3485 runs which include 21 fifties under his belt and 90 wickets in 135 innings.

Seattle bolster their squad with top-draw cricketers

Apart from the signing of Raza, the Orcas have also roped in Sri Lanka’s white-ball skipper Dasun Shanaka, Wayne Parnell, Quinton de Kock, and Mitchell Marsh for the upcoming season. The side has close links with the IPL team, Delhi Capitals, with their co-owner GMR Group buying a stake in the Seattle franchise.

Besides this, the GMR Group joined hands with a group of investors which includes Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, to run the franchise. MI New York, Washington Freedom, San Francisco Unicorns, Los Angeles Knight Riders, and Texas Super Kings are among other teams which will take part in the forthcoming competition in the USA.

The top-tier league will kick-start on July 13, and as many as 19 matches will be played among the six teams in the span of 18 days. The MLC championship final will be contested on July 30 in Texas in the USA.