The Top 12 Universities Advance to the Collegiate Cricket National Championship, The Collegiate Cup® in Fort Lauderdale, FL on March 12–15

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Collegiate Cricket League (CCL) now has the field set for The Collegiate Cup®, college cricket’s national championship tournament, hosted at Broward County Cricket Stadium from March 12–15. The Top 12 finalists advanced based on their regional performance over the course of the CCL season, rising from a competitive pool of more than 35 universities that participated nationwide.

The Collegiate Cup® will open with group-stage play from March 12–14, setting the table for a decisive championship weekend. Across five days, the tournament will bring together four regional champions and eight additional qualifiers from the Midwest, Atlantic, Southern, and Western championships. When the final ball is bowled on Sunday, March 15, one program will lift The Collegiate Cup®, earn $10,000, and be crowned CCL National Champion.

The qualifiers represent the very best of the CCL’s regional circuit. The Midwest Championship was contested in the Chicago area (Glendale Heights, IL) from October 17–19, 2025, producing, University of Wisconsin–Madison, led by Mittansh Nithiyanandam, The Ohio State University, led by Rhydhm Patel, and University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, powered by Midwest MVP Louhith Umashankar. From the Atlantic Championship in Washington, D.C. (November 8–10, 2025), University of Pittsburgh advanced behind Atlantic MVP Omkar Zope, joined by Rutgers University–New Brunswick, led by Adhiran Karthikraja, and George Washington University led by Vansh Kumar.

Momentum accelerated in February as the final two regions settled their qualifiers. The Southern Championship in Atlanta, GA (February 13–15, 2026) delivered a headline trio: University of Georgia, led by regional MVP Rishi Pandey and featuring Nitish Sudini—both members of Team USA U19, with Sudini recently capturing international attention after scoring 177 runs against New Zealand in the World Cup—alongside University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, led by Team USA U19 Captain Utkarsh Srivastava, and University of Florida, the defending national champions led by Rakesh Singh. Out West, the Western Championship in Los Angeles, CA (February 6–8, 2026) produced Arizona State University, led by Soorya Sathish and Yashashwi Gautom, with University of Southern California led by Sahib Abichandani, and UCLA led by Tanmay Desai and Trinabh Sahni.

Group play in Broward County will feature two six-team groups.

Group 1 includes:

University of Pittsburgh
Arizona State University
The Ohio State University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
George Washington University
UCLA

Group 2 includes:

University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Georgia
Rutgers University–New Brunswick
University of Southern California
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
University of Florida.

The Collegiate Cup® format is built to reward excellence across the season while ensuring the championship is won on the field in March. Each regional #1 seed will begin the tournament with two leaderboard points, and each regional #2 seed will begin with one point, reflecting the advantage earned by reaching the top of their respective regions. After group play, teams based on the final point tally will be ranked 1 through 12, with the top four earning a Round One bye. The knockout bracket is single elimination, with the #1 seed facing the winner of the #9 vs. #8 game, #2 playing the winner of #10 vs. #7, #3 meeting the winner of #11 vs. #6, and #4 drawing the winner of #12 vs. #5.

Following the championship, the CCL will announce its premier season honors, including National Player of the Year and the 2025–2026 All-American Awards, recognizing top performers across batting, bowling, and all-rounder categories. Entering The Collegiate Cup®, the leading National Player of the Year contenders include Rishi Pandey (UGA), Omkar Zope (Pittsburgh), Louhith Umashankar (Michigan–Ann Arbor), Utkarsh Srivastava (UNC), and Nitish Sudini (UGA)—with the league noting that eligibility requires qualification to The Collegiate Cup®, and that standout performances during the tournament can rapidly reshape the final rankings.

Games begin at 9:00 AM and go until 7:00 PM each day. Admission is free to the public, making it a fun, family-friendly weekend outing in the Miami–Fort Lauderdale area. The Broward County Cricket Stadium is located at 3700 NW 11th Pl, Lauderhill, FL 33311.

About the Collegiate Cricket League

The Collegiate Cricket League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to elevating cricket at American colleges and universities by unlocking scholarships, varsity recognition, and investments in cricket infrastructure—solidifying its role as the premier pathway for the future of the sport. To support the Collegiate Cricket League’s mission, or to help strengthen your university’s cricket program as an alum, please contact info@collegiatecricket.com or donate online at www.collegiatecricket.com. All donations are tax deductible.

Contact: info@collegiatecricket.com

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