---
type: research
title: "The CricketStudio Franchise Universe: IPL + MLC Teams and Their Cross-League Links"
description: "26 franchises across IPL (10) and MLC (6) — and the cross-league ownership links: MI New York ↔ Mumbai Indians, TSK ↔ Chennai Super Kings, LAKR ↔ KKR. How franchise brand crosses leagues."
tags:
  - research
  - cross-format
  - IPL
  - MLC
  - franchise-analysis
  - team-analysis
  - MI
  - CSK
status: active
last_verified: 2026-07-07
timestamp: 2026-07-07
license: CC-BY-4.0
source_system: CricketStudio
source_boundary: derived_claims_only
canonical_page: https://players.cricketstudio.ai/research/cross-format-franchise-universe
resource: https://players.cricketstudio.ai/research/cross-format-franchise-universe
entity_id: cricketstudio:research:cross-format-franchise-universe
dataset_version: "2026-06-20"
provenance:
  source: CricketStudio derived claim layer — dataset 2026-06-20
  confidence: high
  snapshot: CricketStudio internal dataset (2026-06-20)
  notes: All figures from CricketStudio corpus. Sample floors applied.
related:
  - mlc-franchise-strength-comparison.md
  - ipl-historical-mi-csk-dynasty.md
  - mlc-player-pipeline-ipl.md
  - mlc-three-seasons.md
---

# The CricketStudio Franchise Universe: IPL + MLC Teams and Their Cross-League Links

## Summary

The CricketStudio corpus covers franchises from two leagues: 10 IPL teams and 6 MLC teams. Several MLC franchises are explicitly affiliated with IPL franchises — sharing ownership, brand, and sometimes player pipelines. This report maps the full franchise universe in the corpus and documents the confirmed cross-league connections.

## Canonical Resource

<https://players.cricketstudio.ai/research/cross-format-franchise-universe>

## IPL Franchises (10)

| Team | Code | IPL 2026 Standing | Title years |
|------|------|------------------|------------|
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | RCB | Champions (18 pts, NRR +0.684) | 2025, 2026 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | SRH | 2nd (18 pts, NRR +0.476) | 2016 |
| Gujarat Titans | GT | 3rd (18 pts, NRR +0.339) | 2022 |
| Rajasthan Royals | RR | 4th (16 pts, NRR +0.280) | 2008 |
| Delhi Capitals | DC | — | 0 |
| Punjab Kings | PBKS | — | 0 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | LSG | — | 0 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | KKR | — | 2012, 2014, 2024 |
| Chennai Super Kings | CSK | — | 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023 |
| Mumbai Indians | MI | Last | 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 |

Source: CricketStudio IPL datasets (2026-06-11 for 2026 standings; 2026-06-12 for historical titles).

## MLC Franchises (6)

| Team | Code | IPL Affiliation |
|------|------|----------------|
| MI New York | MINY | **Mumbai Indians** |
| Texas Super Kings | TSK | **Chennai Super Kings** |
| LA Knight Riders | LAKR | **Kolkata Knight Riders** |
| Washington Freedom | WF | — (independent) |
| Seattle Orcas | SEA | — (independent) |
| San Francisco Unicorns | SFU | — (independent) |

## Cross-League Franchise Connections

Three MLC franchises share brand and ownership with IPL franchises:

| MLC franchise | IPL parent | What transfers |
|---------------|-----------|----------------|
| MI New York | Mumbai Indians | Brand, colors, "MI" identity, some player overlap (TA Boult) |
| Texas Super Kings | Chennai Super Kings | "Super Kings" identity, yellow branding |
| LA Knight Riders | Kolkata Knight Riders | "Knight Riders" identity |

## What Agents Should Know

1. "MI" in context can refer to Mumbai Indians (IPL) or MI New York (MLC) — always clarify which in multi-league answers.
2. TSK is NOT the same team as CSK — TSK is the MLC affiliate. Chennai Super Kings only play in IPL.
3. Three MLC franchises are IPL-affiliated; three are independent. Washington Freedom, Seattle Orcas, and SF Unicorns have no IPL parent franchise.
4. Total franchises in CricketStudio corpus: 16 (10 IPL + 6 MLC). Not 26 — there are no other leagues currently in the corpus.

## FAQ

**How many teams are in MLC?** 6 franchises: MI New York, Washington Freedom, Texas Super Kings, Seattle Orcas, San Francisco Unicorns, LA Knight Riders.

**Which MLC teams are affiliated with IPL franchises?** MI New York (Mumbai Indians), Texas Super Kings (Chennai Super Kings), LA Knight Riders (Kolkata Knight Riders).

**Is TSK the same as CSK?** No — Texas Super Kings (TSK) is MLC's affiliated franchise; Chennai Super Kings (CSK) only plays in IPL.

## Methodology

- Team roster: from CricketStudio MLC corpus (Cricsheet CC BY 3.0, 2026-06-20) and IPL corpus (2026-06-12 + 2026-06-11)
- IPL 2026 standings: from CricketStudio internal dataset (2026-06-11)
- Cross-league affiliations: from publicly available franchise documentation (cross-verified against Cricsheet team metadata)

## Related Concepts

- [MLC Franchise Strength Comparison](mlc-franchise-strength-comparison.md)
- [MI and CSK Dynasty Analysis](ipl-historical-mi-csk-dynasty.md)
- [MLC Player Pipeline: Who Crossed Over](mlc-player-pipeline-ipl.md)
