Washington Freedom

In May 2022, Major League Cricket announced that it had secured $120 million from various investors across the United States. One of these investors was Sanjay Govil, who was later announced to be the lead investor and owner of the Washington DC–based franchise team. Alongside MLC, Govil partnered up with George Mason University to launch a feasibility study into a 12,000-seat hybrid cricket/baseball stadium later that year in December. The proposed stadium would host both cricket and baseball games and support up to 12,000 spectators upon its completion in summer 2025. George Mason University announced in March 2024 that it would not proceed with the stadium. In February 2023, Major League Cricket announced that Govil had entered a partnership with Cricket New South Wales to help accelerate the growth of the DC-based franchise. The agreement included initiatives to further player development opportunities, as well as cricket content, within the U.S., an exchange program of coaches and support staff, and opportunities for NSW-based players to play in MLC. Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon stated that "... he [Govil] was very keen to not have an IPL partner... [and wanted to] partner with someone outside who could really bring what we wanted to the table." In March 2023, the team's name, Washington Freedom, and logo were officially unveiled to the public. Upon the unveiling of the team name and logo, Govil said that, "the team's mark and colors are a perfect for a team from the nation's capital to compete on the global stage."

The Freedom, in the second overall 2023 draft, picked Seattle-based Andries Gous. Dane Piedt, Mukhtar Ahmed, and Saad Ali were also all picked up by the team, with South African quick Anrich Nortje announced as a direct signing during the draft. Further signings were made throughout May and June, consisting of the likes of Marco Jansen, Akeal Hosein, and New Zealander Glenn Phillips. Ahead of the inaugural season opener, the team announced it would be led by Australian Moises Henriques and coached by Greg Shipperd. Tanveer Sangha was brought on in early July as a replacement for Wanindu Hasaranga, who dropped out, while Matthew Short was added to the squad as an injury replacement for Josh Philippe. On July 12, 2023, Steve Smith joined Washington Freedom as the team's brand ambassador.