Steven Taylor Goes Unsold in MLC 2026 Draft, Big Names Return

Former USA captain Steven Taylor was not picked in the 2026 MLC draft. This is a big drop for a player who was once a key part of the USA team and even the top pick for MI New York in the first draft. Now 33, he went unsold after being released by Seattle Orcas.

Steven Taylor Goes Unsold

While Taylor missed out, Aakarshit Gomel got his chance. The former Mumbai opener was picked by San Francisco Unicorns after waiting for three seasons. Also, Raymon Reifer will play for the Orcas as a domestic player.

Fast Bowlers in Demand

Teams focused on picking fast bowlers.

• Texas Super Kings signed Amshi de Silva and Abhimanyu Lamba

• MI New York added Faisal Khan Ahmedzai

• Unicorns picked Mohammad Ilyas and Zia ul Haq

• Los Angeles Knight Riders chose Carmi le Roux

All these bowlers got contracts worth $50,000.

Experienced Players Back

Corey Anderson joined MI New York again after leaving the Unicorns. He once played a famous 95-run knock at Wankhede Stadium.
Shehan Jayasuriya also returns to the Orcas and is aiming for a strong comeback.

A total of 17 players were picked. Teams still prefer players with international or top-level domestic experience instead of local US performers. At the same time, young players like Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Sai Teja Mukkamalla show that USA cricket is improving. Going forward, teams may need to give equal chances to local players and judge everyone based on performance, not just background.