Washington Freedom assembles a strong squad for Cognizant MLC 2026
Washington Freedom have announced the list of retained players for the Cognizant Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 season.
Under the tutelage of General Manager Michael Klinger, Head Coach Ricky Ponting, assistant coaches James Hopes and Shawn Bradstreet, the 2024 Cognizant MLC champions retained 17 players, including eight overseas stars and nine talented domestic players, for the Cognizant MLC 2026.
The international retained signings boast the likes of 2024 title-winning captain Steven Smith, all-rounders Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Marco Jansen, and Jack Edwards, along with New Zealand pace spearhead Lockie Ferguson.
Mark Chapman & Rachin Ravindra also join our lineup for next season. Mark Chapman will be available for the first half of the tournament while Rachin is away on international duty for New Zealand. Rachin Ravindra will join the squad for the latter half once his commitments are completed and replace Mark.
Furthermore, Freedom has focused on retaining the domestic core that helped the team reach the second consecutive Cognizant MLC final last season.
Abhishek Paradkar, Amila Aponso, Andries Gous, Ian Holland, Lahiru Milantha, Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Saurabh Netravalkar and Yasir Mohammad were the nine domestic players retained ahead of the Cognizant MLC 2026 season.
Meanwhile, Australian all-rounder Ben Dwarshuis has joined the team as an international signing for the upcoming edition. With 236 wickets and 1,192 runs in 188 T20 games, the 31-year-old will bring a wealth of experience to the Freedom’s set-up. Dwarshuis has also featured in 15 T20Is and six ODIs for the mighty Australian national cricket team.
Freedom have also roped in Indian-origin Australian all-rounder Nikhil Chaudhary as an international signing for the Cognizant MLC 2026. Backed by his brilliant T20 performances across the globe, Chaudhary is a valuable addition to the squad with his swashbuckling batting and potent leg-spin.
Additionally, Freedom have further bolstered their bowling department by acquiring the services of right-arm pacer Asif Mehmood as a domestic signing at the recently concluded MLC draft on March 24. Having assembled a star-studded squad, Freedom will be aiming to clinch its second Cognizant MLC title in 2026.
Washington Freedom squad for Cognizant MLC 2026:
- International Players: Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Jack Edwards, Marco Jansen, Rachin Ravindra, Lockie Ferguson, Mark Chapman, Ben Dwarshuis, Nikhil Chaudhary
- Domestic Players: Abhishek Paradkar, Amila Aponso, Andries Gous, Ian Holland, Lahiru Milantha, Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Saurabh Netravalkar, Yasir Mohammad, Asif Mehmood
