Seattle Orcas cricket team hosts fan fest at Marymoor Park

After a year of disappointments on the field, the Seattle Orcas are preparing for the third installment of Major League Cricket this coming summer.

The Seattle Orcas hosted their first officially named fan fest on June 8 at Marymoor Park in Redmond, the hopeful eventual home of the Orcas.

“It’s amazing and I am genuinely happy to have so much support in the community. That is what I have been trying to do for the last one and a half years, basically promoting the sport and make sure everybody understands the sport. I’ve also tried to build future talents in Seattle,” said Seattle Orcas All-Rounder Sujit Nayak.

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The event started with a 5K/10K race, which transitioned to a jersey reveal and roster announcement of the 2025 Orcas roster. Washington state Congressman Adam Smith and Consul General of the Indian Consulate Shri Prakash Gupta were brought on the stage to say a few words and greet players as they were introduced. Also on the stage was Bellevue Mayor Lynn Robinson, Redmond Mayor Angela Birney and other local leaders.

The fans showed up for the Orcas and the players felt the love. Henrich Klaasen, the captain, Aaron Jones, the young American batsman, and of course David Warner were the most popular names being yelled.

In year one, the Orcas stormed to the final to be upended by MI New York, and a season ago, Seattle finished the year with just one win.

However, this year there is a new face to go with a new jersey — Australian cricketing legend David Warner is set to play in the American franchise league for the first time.

Warner is a legend of the game. He’s scored over 8,000 test runs, almost 7,000 ODI runs for Australia on the world stage, and according to espncricinfo.com, is “the most prolific overseas batter in the history out of the IPL (Indian Premier League).”

Warner also has some connections to this Seattle Orcas team. Set to make his MLC debut alongside Warner is Sujit Nayak, who played in the Delhi Capitals system back in India alongside Warner.

“In 2013 we were in the same franchise in India when I was 22 years old. I was really surprised he remembered that and kind of recognized me. It’s a fantastic opportunity for me not only to showcase my skillset, but learn from these international players,” Nayak said.

Nayak moved to Washington a year and a half ago and has fallen in love with the Evergreen State. The 35-year old batter is looking to make an impact for the team that represents his home.

“Seattle is home for me. This is where I live and play most of my cricket. I feel really happy that everyone is here. The shoutout I got when I was given my jersey as amazing,” he said.

Harmeet Singh also has called the Pacific Northwest home for a period in time. Singh and Nayak played together in India and have been very good friends their whole lives. Nayak is looking forward to playing with Singh once more.

“Me and Harmeet, we go back to our age group cricket days when we lived in Mumbai. We basically grew up together and he’s how I got to Seattle. Playing with Harmeet is always special for me because it brings back childhood memories,” Nayak said.

Ali Sheikh is entering his third year in the U.S. domestic league. The 22-year-old born in Doha was initially on the Los Angeles Knight Riders in 2023, but has been with the Orcas for the last two seasons.

Practicing with players like Henrich Klaasen and Warner is a special experience for Sheikh, who grew up watching Warner.

“Playing alongside him (Warner) is going to be a great experience. Even practicing with him for the first time a couple of days ago showed he is a humble and down-to-earth guy. The way he jokes with us is like we are one of him. I am looking forward to learning what he does and how he does it,” Sheikh said.

But for Sheikh and Nayak, the support from the fans goes a long way especially when to watch the Orcas play the closest game is almost 800 miles away in Oakland.

“The turnout of this event says a lot. We were expecting a large number of people and they didn’t disappoint. I feel like the Asian community in this town is great. Just coming out and seeing this number of supporters and cricket supporters is great for the sport,” Sheikh said.

This year the Orcas will play in three different locations across America. In the first two years of the league, the locations were Grand Prairie Stadium just outside Dallas and the Morrisville Cricket Ground in North Carolina.

But this year the league is playing at two new seats. The recently abandoned Oakland Coliseum will host the first batch of games, before the Orcas head to Grand Prairie and eventually Broward County Stadium in Florida for the league’s first games in the Sunshine State.

“I’ve been playing since season one. The hype has increased for sure. The league is growing still. For the league to come to Oakland and expand to Florida is great. The sport itself coming to America is a big thing,” Sheikh said.

The Orcas opened up with the Washington Freedom on June 14 in Oakland.