USA Cricket’s governing body has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a step it describes as an “aggressive” and “legal” bid to safeguard the sport’s future in the United States. The filing, confirmed on Wednesday, lands barely a week after the ICC suspended USAC for falling short of membership standards, adding yet another layer of complexity to an already fraught situation.
Johnathan Atkeison, USA Cricket’s chief executive, insisted the petition is part of a broader structural overhaul aimed at resolving the ICC sanction. “The decision was not made lightly, but it is the best course of action to secure USA Cricket, and allow it the time and space it needs to successfully reorganise,” he said.
Key governance questions linger
The media statement does not spell out who approved the move or precisely when the decision was taken. Board sources indicate the directors met on 30 September, their second gathering since the ICC suspension. Nine directors dialled in, but the unity ended quickly: four—Nadia Gruny, Atul Rai, Arjun Gona and Kuljeet Singh Nijjar—walked out after clashing with chair Venu Pisike over the agenda. When those directors asked why bankruptcy took precedence over confronting the ICC suspension, Pisike allegedly replied, “there is nothing to discuss.”
One of the dissenting directors later claimed they were “muted” during the call, a point that underscores the friction. Attempts to reach Pisike for comment were unsuccessful. Whether the remaining five directors—Pisike, Anj Balusu, Srinivas Salver and independent members Pintoo Shah and David Hauber—constituted a constitutional majority to authorise the filing is yet to be clarified.
ICC’s warning still in play
In his 23 September email to Pisike, ICC chair Jay Shah instructed USA Cricket to “not take any steps to undermine the ICC or its Normalisation Committee in all aspects of the ICC’s work related to the USA, including the LA28 Olympic Games.” That caution now sits awkwardly alongside the Chapter 11 gamble, raising doubts about how the global body will respond.
Finances under the microscope
USAC links its cash problems to a 50-year commercial agreement signed in 2019 with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the organisation behind Major League Cricket. The board statement describes the contract as one that “heavily favours” ACE and “does not appear to have been completed at arm’s length as understood by the USA Cricket Board.” In short, officials say the deal created both financial strain and operational interference, leaving the governing body little room to manoeuvre.
No details have been released on whether renegotiation of that agreement is feasible, let alone imminent. Bankruptcy protection could, in theory, give USA Cricket leverage to reassess long-term liabilities, but it also risks souring relations with a key commercial partner at a time when the sport is still fighting for mainstream traction in the US.
Analysts split on next steps
Former Ireland captain and cricket consultant Trent Johnston believes reorganising under Chapter 11 is “not uncommon in American sport” yet worries about timing. “If you’re already suspended by the ICC, you’ve got two fires to put out instead of one,” he said. Financial analyst Alicia Morris adds that bankruptcy can stabilise cash flow, “but only if internal governance is sorted. Otherwise, you’re just pressing pause on the same problems.”
What’s next?
In the short term, day-to-day cricket activity—youth programmes, domestic tournaments and player payments—could face delays as the court evaluates USAC’s restructuring plan. Longer term, everything hinges on whether the ICC accepts the process as a genuine rescue effort rather than a diversion.
For now, players remain in limbo, unsure whether national squads will be funded or fixtures honoured. A senior men’s player, speaking on background, summed up the mood: “You train, you hope, and you wait. That’s it.”
USA Cricket has promised more detail “in due course.” Until then, the organisation’s future—and by extension, American cricket’s—is being argued not on the field but in a bankruptcy court.
