Which MLC Teams Are Direct IPL Brand Extensions?

How Are Mumbai Indians and MI New York Connected?

MI New York is a direct American extension of the Mumbai Indians franchise family.

The IPL officially identifies Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd as the owner of Mumbai Indians. MI New York was subsequently introduced as part of Reliance Industries’ expanding MI #OneFamily.The teams share the MI name, blue-and-gold visual identity and #OneFamily brand philosophy. MI New York competes as a separate MLC franchise, with its own league registration, playing squad and competition record.The MI global network has also expanded since the launch of MI New York. As of June 2026, the #OneFamily includes six teams across five countries and four continents:

• Mumbai Indians men’s team — India
• Mumbai Indians women’s team — India
• MI New York — United States
• MI Cape Town — South Africa
• MI Emirates — United Arab Emirates
• MI London — England

That makes MI New York part of a wider franchise platform rather than a standalone use of the Mumbai Indians name.

How Are Kolkata Knight Riders and Los Angeles Knight Riders Connected?

Los Angeles Knight Riders is the MLC member of the same Knight Riders franchise family as Kolkata Knight Riders.

The IPL identifies Knight Riders Sports Private Limited as the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders. The official LAKR website states that Los Angeles Knight Riders is owned by the Knight Riders Group, founded by Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta. LAKR’s privacy documentation also identifies Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd as the operating company.

The connection is therefore direct and visible through:

• The Knight Riders name
• The shared logo family
• Purple-and-gold branding
• Common franchise leadership
• The wider Knight Riders global identity

The Knight Riders family also includes Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20.In 2026, LAKR established the Knight Riders Cricket Field at Fairplex in Pomona as its home venue through a partnership with Fairplex.It should not be described as the first “franchise-owned” MLC ground because the official announcement confirms a partnership and home-field arrangement, not that Knight Riders owns the Fairplex property or stadium outright.

How Are Chennai Super Kings and Texas Super Kings Connected?

Texas Super Kings is Chennai Super Kings’ direct branded MLC counterpart, with local American co-owners also involved in the franchise.

Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited’s audited annual report states that its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, Super Kings International Inc., acquired a 55.5% ownership interest in Texas Super Kings International LLC on October 9, 2024.Texas Super Kings International LLC operates the Texas franchise in Major League Cricket.The remaining ownership includes Texas-based partners Anurag Jain and Ross Perot Jr., both publicly identified as Texas Super Kings co-owners.The franchise relationship is visible through:

• The Super Kings name
• Yellow team colours
• The lion-based visual identity
• A common global Super Kings brand
• Stephen Fleming serving as head coach of both Chennai Super Kings and Texas Super Kings in 2026

Chennai Super Kings does not own 100% of the Texas operation. However, the verified 55.5% interest means its U.S. subsidiary holds a majority stake in the operating company.

Is Seattle Orcas Really Delhi Capitals’ MLC Counterpart?

Not in the same way that MI New York, Los Angeles Knight Riders and Texas Super Kings are direct counterparts.

Seattle Orcas is owned by a group of technology executives, entrepreneurs and investors that includes:

• Soma Somasegar
• Sanjay Parthasarathy
• Satya Nadella
• Samir Bodas
• Ashok Krishnamurthi

The group operates Seattle Orcas in partnership with GMR Group.GMR Sports also co-owns Delhi Capitals with JSW Group. That makes GMR the connection between the two franchises.

However, Seattle Orcas:

• Does not carry the Delhi Capitals name
• Does not use Capitals branding
• Does not share the Delhi Capitals logo or colours
• Has a wider local ownership consortium
• Represents Seattle and the Pacific Northwest rather than the Delhi Capitals global brand

The exact percentage of GMR’s interest in Seattle Orcas has not been publicly stated in the official sources reviewed. The relationship should therefore not be described using an unsupported ownership percentage.“GMR-linked ownership partnership” or “shared ownership-group connection” is more accurate than “direct counterpart.”Calling Seattle Orcas “Delhi Capitals’ American franchise” without explaining this distinction overstates the relationship.

Which MLC Teams Have No IPL Counterpart?

San Francisco Unicorns

San Francisco Unicorns’ principal owners and managing partners are Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan.The franchise announced an expanded investor group in 2025 that included figures from the technology, entertainment and investment industries. However, no current IPL franchise owner was identified as the Unicorns’ parent organisation or controlling franchise group.San Francisco has its own Bay Area and Silicon Valley-rooted identity. The Unicorns reached the 2024 MLC Championship match before losing to Washington Freedom by 96 runs.

Washington Freedom

Washington Freedom is owned by Sanjay Govil, the Indian-born American entrepreneur behind Infinite Computer Solutions and Zyter.Washington also has a cricket-development partnership with Cricket New South Wales, but that sporting partnership is not an IPL ownership link.Freedom won the 2024 MLC Championship by defeating San Francisco Unicorns by 96 runs, with the full campaign covered in AllCric’s MLC 2024 season review. The franchise remains independently branded and has no currently confirmed IPL parent team.Reports or speculation about Govil’s interest in investing in an IPL franchise should not be treated as completed ownership. As of June 25, 2026, the official IPL information does not identify him or Washington Freedom as the owner of an IPL team.

Which IPL Teams Do Not Have an MLC Franchise?

Using the broader ownership-or-investment-link definition, six of the 10 IPL teams currently have no MLC connection:

• Gujarat Titans
• Lucknow Super Giants
• Punjab Kings
• Rajasthan Royals
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru
• Sunrisers Hyderabad

Delhi Capitals is not included in this list because its co-owner, GMR Sports, has a confirmed partnership with Seattle Orcas.However, if the question is limited to direct branded counterparts, seven IPL teams have no direct MLC counterpart. Under that narrower definition, Delhi Capitals must also be included because Seattle Orcas does not carry Capitals branding.

This article covers Major League Cricket only. Several IPL ownership groups have teams or investments in other overseas T20 competitions, but those relationships fall outside this IPL-to-MLC map.

Why Have IPL Franchise Groups Invested in Major League Cricket?

The United States combines a large cricket-following diaspora with one of the world’s biggest commercial sports markets, helping explain how Major League Cricket is growing in the USA. Public franchise announcements consistently emphasise three objectives:

• Expanding established cricket brands into new international markets
• Building professional cricket and local fan communities in the United States
• Creating a global franchise presence beyond the IPL season

There can also be operational advantages. Teams within the same franchise family may draw on common branding expertise, coaching philosophies, commercial relationships and player-scouting knowledge, helping them recruit some of the best batters in Major League Cricket history. The specific legal entities, squad rules and contracts remain separate in each competition. The advantage comes from sharing organisational experience, scouting knowledge and brand value, which can support the recruitment and development of the best bowlers in Major League Cricket history, rather than treating every franchise as one interchangeable squad.The MI #OneFamily, Knight Riders and Super Kings models demonstrate three different versions of this global-franchise approach.

IPL–MLC Franchise Connection Map

• Mumbai Indians → MI New York
• Kolkata Knight Riders → Los Angeles Knight Riders
• Chennai Super Kings → Texas Super Kings
• Delhi Capitals ⇢ Seattle Orcas
• San Francisco Unicorns — no current IPL counterpart
• Washington Freedom — no current IPL counterpart