This is the first of a two-part series of guest posts by former Microsoft senior execs Parthasarathy and Somasegar. They are co-owners of the Seattle Orcas MLC team, alongside Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, tech executives Samir Bodas and Ashok Krishnamurthi, and Delhi Capitals’ owners GMR Sports. MLC’s Season 3 has seen matches at Oakland Coliseum and Florida’s Broward County Stadium for the first time.
One of the biggest challenges we knew we would face in bringing Major League Cricket to the U.S. was infrastructure. In most cricket-playing nations, the sport has been around for generations — the facilities, stadiums, and support systems have evolved over decades. In the U.S., those structures don’t exist. We were always clear that if MLC was going to succeed, we couldn’t just put teams on the field — we had to help build the entire foundation.
Even before the first season, we knew that showcasing what was possible mattered. That’s why we collectively pooled resources as ownership groups to build the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. It gave us something tangible — a venue we could point to and say: this is what cricket in the U.S. can look like. It wasn’t just about getting through one season. It was about setting a standard.
But the truth is: no matter how big the league gets, every franchise needs to play at home.
To truly build a fan base in Seattle, we need to play games in Seattle.
That’s why, over the last two years, we’ve been working closely with King County to explore where and how we can develop a cricket community park. And we use the term community park deliberately. We’re not just trying to build a stadium for the Orcas. We’re trying to build a facility the broader region can call its own.
We’ve been very intentional about the design. One to two months a year, yes — MLC matches will be played there. But for the other ten months, we want it to be a space that serves local players, youth academies, school programs, and city residents. A place where cricket can thrive at all levels — and a model for how professional sport and community development can go hand in hand.
It’s taken time, and it will continue to take time. But we’ve already built alignment with the county. There’s mutual enthusiasm to make this happen. Now it’s about execution — bringing all the moving pieces together.
We also want to be clear-eyed about the challenge. Cricket infrastructure is hard everywhere, even in traditional markets. Globally, two major issues plague the sport: first, the pitch and ground specifications make it difficult to use stadiums for anything else. And second, the calendar. Cricket leagues run for 1–2 months, which is dramatically shorter than most U.S. pro sports. That makes it difficult to justify building large, expensive facilities that sit idle most of the year.
So we’re taking a different approach. We’re designing this project from the ground up to be multi-use. That includes flexible field configurations, space for community events, and facilities that can host concerts, fundraisers, and other cultural gatherings.
We’re also drawing on international models. One that’s been particularly influential is the Utilita Bowl in Southampton — home to Hampshire County Cricket Club, which our partner GMR owns. It’s not just a stadium — it’s a full complex with a golf course, hotel, conference space, and event hosting capabilities. We’re asking ourselves: how do we take inspiration from that kind of vision and adapt it to Seattle?
Seattle, of course, presents unique opportunities and constraints. We have to contend with the weather. We have to make this viable in a seasonal market. But the good news is: Seattle fans are amazing. This city punches above its weight when it comes to sports fandom. Whether it’s the Seahawks, Sounders, Mariners, or Kraken, Seattle has always supported its teams — with heart and volume.
That’s the energy we want to tap into. And we’re building toward it from the bottom up.
One of the things we’re proudest of is how much grassroots momentum already exists here. During the pandemic, our SVP of Operations, Jagan Nemani, helped launch and grow one of the first MLC academies in the country. That academy has since won multiple national age-group tournaments. Private efforts — like the work being done by the Seattle Thunderbolts group — are also contributing to a rising tide of infrastructure and development.
In that sense, our strategy is the opposite of “build it and they will come.” We’re doing it the other way around. We’re growing interest. We’re building participation. We’re engaging the community. And the park will be the capstone to that process — not the beginning.
It’s not easy. But we’re in it for the long term. We’re not building a stadium for a tournament. We’re building a home for cricket in the Pacific Northwest — one that will outlast all of us.
