Collegiate Cricket League to Host 2026 Eastern Championship Near Washington, D.C., Nov. 6-8
Ten universities, three days, 29 matches and three berths at The Collegiate Cup® on the line as the Collegiate Cricket League® returns to the D.C. area
WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Collegiate Cricket League® (CCL), America's premier platform for collegiate cricket, announced today that it will host the 2026 Eastern Championship from Friday, Nov. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 8, at Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park in Aldie, Virginia, near Ashburn in the Washington, D.C., area. Ten universities will compete in 29 matches across three grounds over three days, with three berths at The Collegiate Cup®, the CCL's national championship, at stake. The league invites students, alumni, families and cricket fans from across the region to attend.
The CCL is "Where the World Comes to Play College Cricket." The league brings together 50 U.S. universities and more than 750 student-athletes representing 12 nations, bringing the world's second-most-popular sport to American campuses and giving student-athletes a national stage on which to represent their schools.
With cricket returning to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028, the CCL is building a development pathway for U.S.-developed talent, including the top USA Under-19 players, as well as leading cricketers from around the world. Fans at Hanson Regional Park could very likely be watching future Olympians. The field includes two members of the league's inaugural All-American class and reigning individual award winners: National Batter of the Year Omkar Zope of the University of Pittsburgh and National Bowler of the Year Aditya Josyula of Rutgers University.
The Field and Format
The 10 teams are divided into two groups of five.
- Group A: University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, George Washington University, Stony Brook University and Princeton University.
- Group B: Rutgers University, Penn State, Binghamton University, Boston University and the University of Maryland.
Pittsburgh returns as the reigning regional champion after winning last year's Eastern Championship. Rutgers and George Washington also advanced from that tournament.
Each team will play four group-stage matches and one crossover match against a team from the other group. Play begins at 9 a.m. Friday and continues through Sunday afternoon across three grounds. Sunday's semifinals begin at 3 p.m., with each group winner facing the other group's runner-up. The championship final and third-place playoff follow at 5 p.m. The top three finishers advance to The Collegiate Cup®. The full schedule appears below.
All-Americans in the Field
Two members of the CCL's inaugural All-American class, reigning Batter of the Year Omkar Zope and Bowler of the Year Aditya Josyula, headline the field. Pittsburgh's Zope led the league with 698 runs last season, including a regional century off 34 balls, seven fifties and 71 sixes. Rutgers' Josyula led the league with 18 wickets, including 10 at last year's Eastern Championship, where he recorded a hat trick.
The Road to The Collegiate Cup®
The Eastern Championship's three qualifiers will join six teams that have already earned berths in Fort Lauderdale through the season's first two regional championships.
At the Western Championship, UCLA claimed the title, while Arizona State and UC San Diego also advanced. UCLA All-American batter Tanmay Desai topped the player rankings with 713 points and led all batters with 332 runs, 35 sixes and five fifties. Teammate Shiv Mathur scored the tournament's only century, with 101 runs.
At the Midwest Championship, Iowa State, Purdue and Minnesota secured the three berths. Iowa State's Param Chaudhari topped the player rankings with 402 points and led all bowlers with 13 wickets, including the tournament's only four-wicket haul. Ohio State's Satya Amman Velamarthy led all run scorers with 217 runs at an average of 72.33.
The Collegiate Cup®, the CCL's national championship, is scheduled for March 9–14, 2027, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with matches beginning March 10.
2026 Eastern Championship Schedule
All times Eastern. Group winners will be seeded A1 and B1; runners-up will be seeded A2 and B2.
Date | Time | Ground 1 | Ground 2 | Ground 3 |
Fri, Nov. 6 | 9 a.m. | Pittsburgh v Virginia Tech | George Washington v Maryland | |
Fri, Nov. 6 | 11 a.m. | Rutgers v Penn State | George Washington v Stony | |
Fri, Nov. 6 | 1 p.m. | Penn State v Binghamton | Virginia Tech v Stony Brook | Boston University |
Fri, Nov. 6 | 3 p.m. | Rutgers v Boston University | ||
Sat, Nov. 7 | 9 a.m. | Pittsburgh v George Washington | Rutgers v Maryland | |
Sat, Nov. 7 | 11 a.m. | George Washington v Princeton | Stony Brook v Penn State | |
Sat, Nov. 7 | 1 p.m. | Virginia Tech v Boston | Pittsburgh v Binghamton | |
Sat, Nov. 7 | 3 p.m. | Stony Brook v Princeton | Rutgers v Binghamton | |
Sun, Nov. 8 | 9 a.m. | Penn State v Maryland | George Washington v Virginia | Princeton v |
Sun, Nov. 8 | 11 a.m. | Pittsburgh v Stony Brook | Boston University v Binghamton | Virginia Tech v |
Sun, Nov. 8 | 1 p.m. | Maryland v Binghamton | Penn State v Boston University | Pittsburgh v |
Sun, Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | Semifinal 1: A1 v B2 | Semifinal 2: A2 v B1 | |
Sun, Nov. 8 | 5 p.m. | Final: Semifinal 1 winner v | Third-place playoff: Semifinal 1 |
Venue and Attendance
Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park is a 257-acre park in Loudoun County, Virginia, located at 22831 Hanson Park Drive, Aldie, VA 20105. Spectators are welcome.
About the Collegiate Cricket League
The Collegiate Cricket League is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating cricket at American colleges and universities by expanding access to scholarships, varsity recognition and investment in cricket infrastructure. Its mission is to build a premier pathway for the sport's future. The Collegiate Cricket League is "Where the World Comes to Play College Cricket." To support the league's mission or help strengthen your university's cricket program as an alum, contact info@collegiatecricket.com or donate online at www.collegiatecricket.com. Donations are tax-deductible.
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Contact: info@collegiatecricket.com
SOURCE National Cricket League (NCL) USA
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