MLC 2025: Glenn Maxwell to lead defending champions Washington Freedom; Steve Smith to step in for two games
Australia's Glenn Maxwell will lead the Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket 2025. (Sportzpics)
Glenn Maxwell
has been named as the captain of the Washington Freedom for the upcoming season of the Major League Cricket in the USA. The Aussie will lead the franchise for the entire duration of the month-long tournament.
Steve Smith
, who had captained the Freedom last season, will take over the role during the two matches he will play for the franchise later in the season. Smith is missing the start of the MLC due to a fixture clash with the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against South Africa at Lord's.
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Maxwell is one of the two new captains appointed on Tuesday in the USA. Recently-retired Nicholas Pooran will helm the MI New York.
MLC: Venky Harinarayan on growing cricket in the USA, AI-driven teams and the Olympic boost
Maxwell had recently announced his retirement from ODI cricket to concentrate on the shortest format ahead of next year's T20 World Cup.
In a social media post, Maxwell said, "Hey Freedom Fam! Your captain Glenn Maxwell is here."
Corey Anderson, who played the majority of his top-tier cricket for New Zealand before moving to the USA, will captain the San Francisco Unicorns.
He is the only 'local' captain in the six-team MLC which gets underway on June 12.
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Meanwhile, South Africa's Heinrich Klaasen has also been confirmed to continue as captain of the Seattle Orcas.
The other two teams in the MLC — Los Angeles Knight Riders and Texas Super Kings — are yet to announce their captains. Sunil Narine and Faf du Plessis had captained them during MLC 2024.
Washington Freedom are the defending MLC champions, having beaten the San Francisco Unicorns in last season's final. The new season gets underway on June 13 with a contest between Freedom and Unicorns at the Oakland Coliseum. The final is set to be played on July 12.
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