LA28: Organizers eye East Coast for cricket

Cricket is set for grand Olympics return for the first time since 1900

The organisers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics are exploring the possibility of hosting cricket matches on the East Coast of the United States, despite the Games being held in California. The move is aimed at accommodating cricket fans from the Indian subcontinent by offering more viewer-friendly match timings.

Casey Wasserman, head of the LA28 organising committee, confirmed to Cricbuzz that discussions are ongoing, and New York has emerged as a potential location. This comes as a solution to the significant time difference between Los Angeles and India. A prime-time match in LA would mean early morning broadcasts in India, making it less accessible for fans.

However, shifting cricket to New York, with a 9.5-hour time difference, could allow matches to begin at a more suitable time for Indian audiences—around 8 PM IST.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had previously adopted a similar schedule for the Twenty20 World Cup held earlier this year, timing East Coast matches for prime-time viewing in India. However, the idea has stirred controversy, with allegations of fund misuse among ICC officials leading to an investigation.

Apart from scheduling, finding an appropriate venue poses a challenge. Cricket facilities in the U.S. are limited, and the modular stadium used for the World Cup in Long Island, New York, was dismantled immediately after the event. Other potential venues include Dallas, Texas, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which also hosted World Cup matches. Major League Cricket (MLC) games are currently played in Dallas and North Carolina, but no permanent cricket infrastructure exists in California.

"Unlike the other new sports, cricket presents a unique venue challenge. LA28 has been vocal about how it plans to keep costs down by utilizing existing venues, but there are very few - if any - suitable cricket venues in California. Or in the rest of the country," the Sportico website, which first reported it, said.