Knight Riders Cricket Ground
Cricket ground at Fairplex in Pomona, California, US
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Knight Riders Cricket Ground is a cricket ground under construction at the Fairplex in Pomona, California. Announced in March 2026 with construction beginning the following month, it will serve as the home stadium of the Los Angeles Knight Riders of Major League Cricket (MLC), and is expected to host the Twenty20 cricket tournaments during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Pomona, California, United States
 Interactive map of Knight Riders Cricket Ground | |
| Location | Fairplex, 1101 W McKinley Ave Pomona, California, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°05′11″N 117°45′59″W |
| Owner | Los Angeles County Fair Association (Fairplex) |
| Operator | Knight Riders Group |
| Surface | Grass |
| Tenants | |
| Los Angeles Knight Riders (MLC) (2026–present) | |
| Knight Riders Group | |
|---|---|
| Current Teams | |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (2008–present) Trinbago Knight Riders (2015–present) Trinbago Knight Riders Women (2022–present) Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (2023–present) Los Angeles Knight Riders (2023–present) | |
| Stadium | |
| Knight Riders Cricket Ground (2026–present) |
History
Initial plans, cricket at the Olympics
In November 2020, the Knight Riders Group—led by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan—made an investment in the then-upcoming U.S. Twenty20 (T20) league Major League Cricket (MLC), and was granted ownership rights to the Los Angeles franchise that would become the Los Angeles Knight Riders. Khan stated that he was "closely watching the potential" for T20 in the United States as part of his efforts to grow the Knight Riders brand globally.[1]
In March 2022, MLC parent company American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) announced plans to invest US$110 million into new and existing U.S. cricket grounds to serve as home stadiums for MLC teams in the future. The Knight Riders proposed the construction of a 10,000-seat stadium at the Great Park sports complex in Irvine, California, which was reported to have an estimated cost of $30 million. The stadium was proposed as a site for international cricket events such as ICC tournaments (including the then-upcoming 2024 Men's T20 World Cup co-hosted by the United States), as well as a proposal for cricket to be contested at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles [2][3][4]
In the meantime, MLC launched with a neutral site model, with most matches played at the Grand Prairie Stadium—a former baseball stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas that had been purchased by ACE and converted to a cricket-specific facility; the stadium is intended as the home stadium of the Texas Super Kings. The league has occasionally played matches outside of Grand Prairie, including at Church Street Park, Central Broward Park, and the Oakland Coliseum.[5][6][7]
In October 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the addition of T20 cricket and four other sports to the 2028 Summer Olympics' program, marking the first time cricket will be contested as an Olympic event since 1900.[8] In April 2025, the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LAOCOG) announced that cricket would take place at a temporary cricket ground constructed at the Fairplex, similar to the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium constructed near New York City for the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup.[9][10] In August 2025, it was reported that the Fairplex was negotiating with the Knight Riders Group to fund a permanent facility instead, which could be used by the Los Angeles Knight Riders, and expanded with temporary seating for the Olympics.[11]
Construction
On March 19, 2026, the Knight Riders Group announced that they had leased land at the Fairplex to construct a cricket stadium known as the Knight Riders Cricket Ground, which will serve as the Los Angeles Knight Riders' home stadium, and is expected to host cricket during the 2028 Summer Olympics.[12][13]
Construction of the $21 million stadium began with a groundbreaking ceremony on April 26, 2026, attended by Pomona mayor Tim Sandoval, Fairplex president and CEO Walter Marquez, Knight Riders Sports CEO Venky Mysore, LAOCOG vice president of sports Niccolò Campriani, and ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta among other figures.[14] It is anticipated to be completed by July 2026, being scheduled to host seven matches (including three Knight Riders matches) as part of the 2026 MLC season.[12][13] Upon its completion, it will become the second cricket stadium developed for MLC behind Grand Prairie Stadium.[15] The stadium will initially seat up to 5,000 spectators, but will be expanded to 12,000 seats by 2027, and then 15,000 by 2028 for the Olympics.[16][17]
Khan stated that the project aims to "create not just a cricket ground, but a space of energy, community, and belonging."[15] ICC president Jay Shah stated that the grounds were "an important milestone in cricket's return to the Olympics and is a proud moment for all ICC members and stakeholders worldwide. We're confident this venue will take center stage during the Games and leave a legacy for cricket in the USA."[15]