The first spade has gone in at Fairplex, Pomona, where work on the Knight Riders Cricket Ground officially started on 22 April. The venue is earmarked as both Los Angeles Knight Riders’ base for Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 and, if plans hold, the main stage for cricket’s return to the Olympic Games in 2028.
“This is a defining moment – not just for the Knight Riders, but for cricket in America,” said Venky Mysore, chief executive of Knight Riders Sports, moments after the ceremonial dig. Flanked by local officials and ICC leaders, he spoke of “strong potential to grow the game and connect with the community in Southern California”.
Key details first: the ground sits inside the Fairplex complex, roughly 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. It is scheduled to host seven MLC matches next season, with the home side’s opening trio pencilled in between 1 and 5 July. Seating numbers and pitch specifications are still being tweaked, though organisers insist the square will meet full international standards – an obvious requirement if the Olympics do land here in two years’ time.
Jay Shah, serving as ICC chair, called the project “a proud moment for all ICC members and stakeholders worldwide”, adding that inclusion in the Olympic movement “brings both pride and dreams with it”. While the language is lofty, the sub-text is simple: a successful Games could fast-track cricket’s visibility in North America, a market the ICC has targeted for more than a decade.
Sanjog Gupta, the ICC’s chief executive, leaned into that theme, describing Pomona as “cricket’s home for LA28”. He expects “many such milestones” before the flame is lit, pointing to improved accessibility, higher visibility and “stronger institutional support” as reasons for optimism.
Locally, the mood is upbeat but measured. Pomona’s mayor, Tim Sandoval, talked about economic opportunity and “putting our city on a sporting map we’ve not traditionally occupied”. LA28 vice-president of sport Niccolo Campriani echoed that, noting that multi-sport events rely on “community buy-in as much as bricks and mortar”.
The Knight Riders, co-owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan, are banking on that community feel. “Today isn’t just about breaking ground, but about beginning a dream – bringing cricket, the second most-watched sport in the world, into the heart of Los Angeles’ sporting identity,” Khan said in a recorded message. The wording might sound grand, yet the concept is straightforward: create a permanent West Coast home where seasoned fans and newcomers can watch a T20, grab a snack, maybe even learn what a googly is.
Strategically, the franchise becomes the first in MLC to lock down its own, purpose-built venue. Most league fixtures so far have borrowed existing baseball diamonds hastily retro-fitted for cricket. A specialist ground should mean truer bounce, faster outfields and – crucially for broadcasters – proper sight-screens and camera angles.
Challenges remain. Construction needs to keep pace; California’s regulations can be demanding and late summer heat often delays outdoor work. There is also the matter of filling seats in a crowded entertainment market. Still, the signs on day one were positive enough.
As Mysore put it, “The journey over the next two years will see many such milestones.” If the timelines hold, that journey could end with an Olympic medal match played on a strip first rolled out for the LA Knight Riders.
