Seattle Orcas is one of the teams which is going to participate in the inaugural season of the Major League Cricket 2023 which is organized by American Cricket Enterprises with the support of USA Cricket. Representing Seattle in Washington, the Orcas were established by ACE in order to take part in MLC 2023.
In March 2023, MLC revealed some exciting news before the first MLC domestic draft about the team. It was clear that the GMR group, which already holds ownership of Delhi Capitals in IPL, would also possess ownership of the Seattle Orcas in the upcoming MLC 2023. Apart from the GMR group, Satya Nadella, Soma Somasegar, Samir Bodas, Ashok Krishnamurthi, and Sanjay Parthasarathy are also the joint owners of this squad. To honor and acknowledge the communities that have fostered the spirit of cricket in Seattle, the team was christened the Seattle Orcas. On the other hand, the franchise has chosen Black, White, and Light Green as their team’s colors.
The team intends to establish its home stadium at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington. The cricket facility within the park is projected to accommodate a maximum of 6,000 individuals upon its anticipated completion around 2025.
The official announcement for the captain of the Seattle Orcas is yet to be declared whereas Pravin Amre, the former Indian cricketer will take the responsibility of head coach. The former New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor was chosen as a batting coach while Johan Botha was appointed as the bowling coach.
In their inaugural MLC season, Seattle Orcas successfully acquired the talents of Quinton de Kock, a highly acclaimed wicketkeeper batter from South Africa renowned for his dynamic batting style, as well as Dasun Shanaka, the captain of Sri Lanka's limited-overs team. Additionally, the franchise under the ownership of Delhi Capitals has also enlisted the expertise of Sikandar Raza, a Zimbabwean cricketer, and Wayne Parnell, a seasoned fast bowler from South Africa. These notable additions of international cricket stars emphasize the Orcas' unwavering commitment to leaving a formidable mark in the competition. Interestingly, the squad has five all-round performers in the form of Dasun Shanaka, Sikandar Raza, Harmeet Singh, Shubham Ranjane, and Cameron Gannon.
The Seattle Orcas squad will kick off their journey in MLC 2023 with the first T20 against Washington Freedom on 14 July at Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas, then they will play their second match against San Francisco Unicorns on 15 July 2023 in the same venue. Then they will head over to Church Street Park, Morrisville, and play their third, fourth, and fifth T20 against Texas Super King, Los Angeles Knight Riders, and Mumbai Indians New York on 21, 23, and 25 July 2023. The squad will enter the tournament with the hope of making their place in the top 4 spots in the leaderboard and qualifying for playoffs.