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League | Major League Cricket | |
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Personnel | ||
Captain | Wayne Parnell | |
Coach | Pravin Amre | |
Owner | Samir Bodas Ashok Krishnamurthi Satya Nadella Sanjay Parthasarathy S. Somasegar GMR Group | |
Team information | ||
City | Seattle, Washington, United States (planned) | |
Colours | Black, White, Light Green, and Orange | |
Founded | 2023 (2023) | |
Home ground | Marymoor Cricket Community Park (planned) | |
Capacity | 6,000 (planned) | |
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The Seattle Orcas is an American professional Twenty20 cricket team that competes in Major League Cricket (MLC). The team plans to be based in Seattle, Washington and was announced in 2023 as one of six inaugural franchises to play in Major League Cricket. The Seattle Orcas are owned by an investor group including Satya Nadella, Soma Somasegar, Samir Bodas, Ashok Krishnamurthi, and Sanjay Parthasarathy – and the GMR Group. The Orcas have a minor league affiliate called the Seattle Thunderbolts, who play in Minor League Cricket and were the 2022 champions.
The team plans to have their home ground at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington. The park's cricket ground is set to have a capacity of up to 6,000 people once it is completed around 2025. The team is coached by former Indian cricketer Pravin Amre.
In November 2021, the Bellevue City Council passed a resolution to support further research into the cost and feasibility for a cricket facility in Seattle. This was followed by a similar resolution that the Redmond City Council adopted in January 2022. A motion of support to develop a cricket facility in Marymoor Park was then passed by King County in February 2022. In May 2022, Major League Cricket announced that Somasegar and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella were among some of the lead investors launching Major League Cricket in the U.S.
In March 2023, MLC unveiled the team ownership, name, and logo prior to the inaugural MLC domestic draft. It was also announced that the team would partner with the GMR Group, who co-owns the Delhi Capitals of the Indian Premier League. Co-owner Somasegar stated that the Orcas name and colors "pay tribute to our local community that has helped build that spirit of support". On May 27, 2023, it was revealed that the Orcas had revamped their logo to emphasize its focus on cricket.
Prior to the launch of the official season, it was announced the MLC's inaugural domestic draft would take place on March 19, 2023. The Orcas' had the first pick of the draft and selected Thunderbolts captain Harmeet Singh as their first overall draft pick, before adding the likes of Shehan Jayasuriya, Angelo Perera, and Shubham Ranjane in later draft selections. In addition, Mitchell Marsh and Quinton de Kock were announced as some of the team's overseas signings during the draft. Over the following months, several more overseas signings occurred, including the signings of Wayne Parnell, Dasun Shanaka, and Heinrich Klaasen – amongst others.
The team also announced their lineup of support staff, with Johan Botha coming on board as the team's bowling coach, Ross Taylor as the team's batting coach, Pravin Amre as the team's head coach, and Jarrod Harkness as the team analyst.
Prior to the start of the season, Mitchell Marsh and Sikandar Raza – who were both included in the Orcas squad – withdrew from MLC due to it clashing with other tournaments such as the Ashes and the Zim Afro T10.
In the start to their inaugural campaign, the Orcas' went top of the table by recording a 5-wicket win over the Washington Freedom, a 35-run win over the San Francisco Unicorns, and an 8-wicket win over the Texas Super Kings. The Orcas' winning streak was snapped, however, during a 2-wicket defeat to the Los Angeles Knight Riders. A 2-wicket win over MI New York assured the Orcas' a first-place finish going into the finals nevertheless.
In December 2023, it was announced that the second season of the tournament would begin on July 4, 2024, four days after the conclusion of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
On February 15, 2024, the retained overseas players' Heinrich Klaasen , Quinton de Kock , Wayne Parnell and Imad Wasimand Retained. On March 1, 2024, the domestic player retention list was announced.Harmeet Singh , Shehan Jayasuriya, Shubham Ranjane , Cameron Gannon and Nauman Anwar.
The domestic players' draft was virtually held on March 21, 2024, with a total of 20 players being picked by the teams over 10 rounds. An additional draft is scheduled for June 16 in order for teams to complete their squads.
Hammad Azam, Ali Sheikh,Lahiru Milantha and Ayan Desai were prominent names picked in the domestic round of the draft.
The following players were directly signed by teams ahead of the 2024 season. Michael Bracewell ,Nandre Burger, Lance Morris , Nathan Ellis and Ryan Rickelton was also announced as another overseas signing by the Orcas.
Position | Name | Nationality | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batters | Shehan Jayasuriya | ![]() |
(1991-09-12) September 12, 1991 | Left-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2023 | |
Nauman Anwar | ![]() |
(1995-10-12) October 12, 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | ||
All-rounders | Michael Bracewell | ![]() |
(1991-02-14) February 14, 1991 | Left-handed | Right arm off-break | 2024 | Direct signing |
Imad Wasim | ![]() |
(1988-12-18) December 18, 1988 | Left-handed | Slow Left-arm orthodox | 2023 | ||
Harmeet Singh | ![]() |
(1992-09-07) September 7, 1992 | Left-handed | Left-arm orthodox | 2023 | Vice-Captain | |
Shubham Ranjane | ![]() |
(1994-03-26) March 26, 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2023 | ||
Cameron Gannon | ![]() |
(1989-01-23) January 23, 1989 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | ||
Hammad Azam | ![]() |
(1991-03-16) March 16, 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2024 | ||
Ayan Desai | ![]() |
(2002-04-03) April 3, 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2024 | ||
Wicket-keepers | Quinton de Kock | ![]() |
(1992-12-17) December 17, 1992 | Left-handed | 2023 | Direct signing | |
Heinrich Klaasen | ![]() |
(1991-07-30) July 30, 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 2023 | Direct signing | |
Ryan Rickelton | ![]() |
(1996-07-11) July 11, 1996 | Left-handed | 2024 | Direct signing | ||
Bowlers | Wayne Parnell | ![]() |
(1989-07-30) July 30, 1989 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | 2023 | Direct signing; Captain |
Nandre Burger | ![]() |
(1995-08-11) August 11, 1995 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast | 2024 | Direct signing | |
Ali Sheikh | ![]() |
(2003-02-23) February 23, 2003 | Left-handed | Slow Left-arm orthodox | 2024 | ||
Nathan Ellis | ![]() |
(1994-09-22) September 22, 1994 | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium | 2024 | Direct signing | |
Lance Morris | ![]() |
(1998-03-28) 28 March 1998 | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium | 2024 | Direct signing | |
Obed McCoy | ![]() |
(1997-01-04) 4 January 1997 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2024 | Direct signing |
Position | Name |
---|---|
Head coach | Pravin Amre |
Bowling coach | Johan Botha |
Batting coach | Ross Taylor |
Team manager | |
Strength and conditioning | |
High performance analyst | |
Physiotherapist |
Year | League standing | Final standing |
---|---|---|
2023 | 2nd out of 6 | Semifinals |
Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied/NR |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
Source: ESPNCricinfo |
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Seattle Orcas | |
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