Ujjwal Vinnakota, a Lewisville resident, was selected to play in the National Cricket League with the Chicago Cricket Club.
The National Cricket League is a Dallas-based professional cricket league that features matches lasting about 90 minutes. The league’s aim is to bring Americans a shorter and quicker style of cricket with more action as the sport grows in the region.
For most of the sport’s history, dating back to the British Empire, matches could last weeks at a time.
Recently, the sport has made an attempt to modernize its length, especially in the U.S., bringing it down to about three hours in Major League Cricket and 90 minutes in NCL.
“Cricket in America is growing at a tremendous pace, and I’m grateful to contribute to that growth while representing Lewisville and Denton County at a national level,” said Vinnakota. “I hope my journey inspires more young athletes in Texas to pursue cricket and believe in their potential.”
Recently, the Chicago Cricket Club played in an NCL tournament at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Before getting the call to play for the NCL, Vinnakota had played Minor League Cricket with the St. Louis Americans. He has also played in tournaments like the Houston Open, the U.S. Premier League, Dallas Premier League and NTCA competitions.
Throughout his early career, he has earned awards such as MVP and Best Batsman, among others.
Originally from India, Vinnakota moved to Lewisville in January 2022.
Vinnakota graduated from the University of North Texas with a Master’s Degree in Business Analytics and said he is proud to represent the Lewisville and Denton County community on a national stage while the sport of cricket grows in America.
The cricketer also announced he will be included in the Major League Cricket draft pool.
MLC’s 2025 draft took place in February 2025, so Vinnakots will be eligible to be drafted in 2026.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex’s closest MLC team is the Texas Super Kings, who play in Grand Prairie in the previous home of the Grand Prairie AirHogs, a former independent minor league baseball team.
For more information on NCL and the Chicago Cricket Club, or to follow Vinnakota’s performance in upcoming matches, visit Chicago CC’s website.
To learn more about the basic rules and gameplay of cricket as a sport, check out a video explanation here.
