Chicago Kingsmen are the Minor League Cricket 2026 champions. They beat Baltimore Royals by 3 wickets in the Championship Final in Houston on Sunday, October 25, chasing 179 with four balls to spare to finish the playoffs unbeaten. Tajinder Singh Dhillon took 3 for 29 and then hit 69 not out off 33 balls, and Syed Saad Ali added 51.
Youth players were in the thick of it. Baltimore wicketkeeper Prannav Chettipalayam top-scored for the Royals with 46 off 29 balls, including three sixes, and took two catches behind the stumps. For the champions, Arya Kannantha made 27 at the top of the order and Ali Sheikh took 1 for 11 from two overs, including Prannav’s wicket. Catch up on Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.
Youth highlights
Every youth player we track who scored 20 or more runs in the final.
Batting
| Batter | Runs (balls) |
|---|---|
| Prannav ChettipalayamBaltimore Royals · v Chicago Kingsmen | 46 (29) |
| Arya KannanthaChicago Kingsmen · v Baltimore Royals | 27 (26) |
With the ball: Ali Sheikh conceded just 11 runs from his two overs, with six dot balls, and removed Baltimore’s top scorer. Tanush Apte took the wicket of Milind Kumar for Baltimore.
At the finish: Hrrit Hinge was at the crease, unbeaten, when Chicago completed the chase.
Fielding highlights
- Wicketkeepers: Prannav Chettipalayam (Baltimore Royals) took two catches behind the stumps, and Arya Kannantha (Chicago Kingsmen) took one.
- In the field: Tanush Apte held two catches for Baltimore Royals, and Hrrit Hinge held one for Chicago Kingsmen.
Final MiLC 2026 youth player rankings
With the season complete, ten youth players finished in the top 50 of the MiLC 2026 player rankings, which award points for batting, bowling and fielding across the regular season and playoffs. Prannav Chettipalayam finished as the highest-ranked youth player at No. 6, one point ahead of Ali Sheikh at No. 7.
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Prannav ChettipalayamBaltimore Royals | 737 |
| 7 | Ali SheikhChicago Kingsmen | 736 |
| 12 | Saharsh ShwethanMorrisville Raptors | 597 |
| 28 | Ansh RaiMorrisville Raptors | 395 |
| 30 | Rahul JariwalaSan Ramon Grizzlies | 381 |
| 31 | Ekamnoor SandhuMorrisville Raptors | 370 |
| 35 | Arya KannanthaChicago Kingsmen | 365 |
| 38 | Adnit JhambSt. Louis Americans | 357 |
| 41 | Abhinav SikharamMichigan Cricket Stars | 347 |
| 50 | Baladitya KathulaSt. Louis Americans | 312 |
Championship Final: Sunday, October 25
- Chicago Kingsmen 179/7 (19.2 ov) beat Baltimore Royals 178/8 (20 ov) by 3 wickets. Prannav Chettipalayam 46 (29), Jaskaran Malhotra 44 (28) and Mohammad Mohsin 28 (18) batted for Baltimore; Tajinder Singh Dhillon took 3 for 29. Tajinder Singh Dhillon 69* (33) and Syed Saad Ali 51 (36) led the chase, and Rishi Dhawan took 4 for 33 for Baltimore.
Chicago Kingsmen won all three of their group games and the final to take the 2026 title.
Thank you for following
That’s a wrap on the MiLC 2026 playoffs. For every youth player in the eight playoff squads, see our playoff youth players guide, and catch up on every playoff day in our Minor League Cricket coverage.
Got a highlight? If your child played in the playoffs and had a big moment, email it to info@usayouthcricket.com with the team and match. We check every one against the official scorecard before it goes up. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
Sources
All results and figures are from the official Minor League Cricket 2026 Final scorecard and the final MiLC 2026 player rankings. Youth players are those on our verified youth player lists.
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