November 12, 2025

About This Series
This release is part of USA Cricket’s Transparency and Accountability Series, a multi-part communication effort aimed at providing our members, players, and stakeholders with factual clarity about recent challenges and the actions taken to protect the game’s future in the United States.

A Partnership Built on Unequal Terms

In 2019, USA Cricket entered into an initial term sheet with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) with optimism and goodwill, expecting it to evolve into a long-form agreement that clearly defined each party’s responsibilities and rights.

That long-form agreement was never finalized. Instead, ACE leveraged control and influence to ensure the arrangement remained ambiguous, favoring its commercial priorities while limiting USA Cricket’s operational autonomy.

Despite repeated promises of substantial investment, ACE failed to fulfill multiple funding commitments outlined in the term sheet. Payments meant to support national teams, domestic competitions, and grassroots programs were delayed, offset, or withheld altogether.

Even more concerning, ACE unilaterally restructured its revenue recognition methods, depriving USA Cricket of its rightful share of commercial proceeds, done without transparency, consultation, or accountability.

“For six years, USA Cricket sought good-faith cooperation to finalize a fair, balanced agreement,” said Venu Pisike, Chairman of USA Cricket. “Instead, we faced persistent defiance, withheld payments, and increasing attempts to erode our authority as the sport’s National Governing Body.”

Repeated Breaches and Financial Manipulation

Under the existing term sheet, ACE was obligated to make specific financial outlays toward USA Cricket’s player contracts, national team operations, and event support.

However, ACE repeatedly offset these obligations by deducting unrelated expenditures, including MLC player contracts, marketing costs, and internal expenses, without mutual consent or accounting transparency.

USA Cricket issued multiple formal notices of breach and cure requests, but ACE’s responses were evasive and coercive. Rather than addressing the concerns, ACE applied financial pressure, effectively “strong-arming” USA Cricket to accept their interpretations of the agreement.

“We were made to feel like a tenant in our own house,” Pisike continued. “Every time we raised compliance issues, the response was intimidation or financial withholding. That is not partnership, that is control through deprivation.”

Litigation, Retaliation, and the Campaign to Undermine Governance

When USA Cricket sought resolution and requested assistance in mediating disputes, ACE escalated matters through litigation, claiming reputational harm while continuing to withhold funds.

This legal aggression drained resources, distracted leadership, and created instability within the cricketing ecosystem.

Yet, the financial strain was only one layer of the challenge. Behind the scenes, ACE attempts to undermine USA Cricket’s governance structure by influencing and mobilizing a group of aligned individuals, including beneficiaries of ACE-linked opportunities, to initiate recall efforts and internal disruptions outside the constitutional process.

These coordinated actions were aimed at forcing leadership changes and regaining control over the board through indirect means. Several of these attempts sought to destabilize operations, discredit elected leadership, and push USA Cricket toward decisions that favored ACE’s commercial agenda rather than the broader interest of the game.

Despite these pressures, USA Cricket held firm to its constitutional principles, ensuring that no recall, removal, or board intervention could occur without adherence to due process and transparency.

Influence and Collusion Across the Ecosystem

Throughout this period, ACE expanded its sphere of influence, seeking to manipulate board decisions, media narratives, and player selections.

Offers of minor league ownership, selective player contracts, and promises of future roles were used to gain influence over individuals within and around the organization.

USA Cricket also received credible reports of open threats to national team players warning them against participating in USA Cricket, sanctioned domestic competitions, citing retaliation for considering entry into the MLC draft.

Despite these acts of intimidation, USA Cricket maintained its integrity and still sanctioned MiLC for the 2025 season, ensuring domestic cricket continued uninterrupted for the benefit of the players and the community.

The Breaking Point and the Responsible Decision

It became clear that the environment was no longer sustainable. ACE’s financial defaults, coupled with governance interference and legal harassment, left USA Cricket unable to function as a stable governing body.

The decision to file for Chapter 11 protection was made not out of weakness, but as a responsible and lawful step to preserve USA Cricket’s assets, protect its members, and ensure continuity of programs.

This process allows the organization to reorganize, restore independence, and shield itself from further coercion while implementing the reforms necessary for long-term sustainability.

“Our decisions were not about rejecting partnership, but about reclaiming accountability,” Pisike said. “No partnership should come at the cost of integrity, fairness, and independence.”

Commitment to Rebuilding and Accountability

USA Cricket remains steadfast in its commitment to transparency, lawful process, and rebuilding stronger foundations for sport.

The ongoing Chapter 11 process provides a platform to restructure responsibly and ensure that future partnerships uphold integrity and mutual benefit.

“We cannot allow the mistakes of a flawed agreement to repeat themselves. Our priority is to protect the sport, the players, and the trust of the American cricket community,” said Pisike. 

These reforms will expand athlete representation, strengthen financial oversight, and embed the lessons learned from this difficult period.

To ensure full clarity, USA Cricket has included a chronological attachment summarizing the major events, communications, and board actions that led to these decisions.

This record is not intended to assign blame, but to provide an honest account of how the organization arrived here, and how it plans to rebuild with integrity.

Standing Together

We understand that these developments may have caused disappointment or confusion. But through every challenge, our guiding principle has been simple: protect the game, its people, and its future.

USA Cricket remains deeply grateful to every player, parent, coach, and volunteer who continues to stand by the organization and its mission.

Your support and trust remind us that no amount of external pressure can overshadow the collective strength of this community.

This is not just a story of struggle, it is a story of resilience, of a governing body determined to learn, to be better, and to serve the game with honesty and heart.