After three years in the making, Major League Cricket will finally enjoy its Dallas-Fort Worth debut: The newest professional sports league will launch on Thursday, July 13, accompanied by a program of pageantry like you've maybe never seen. It'll include fireworks, aerial acrobatics, and a custom drone show that will animate the sky above Grand Prairie Stadium.

The tournament opener will pit hometeam Texas Super Kings — the state's first professional cricket team in Major League Cricket — against the Los Angeles Knight Riders, at a match starting at 7:30 pm.

The game is sure to be exciting — but can it beat the pre-game pageantry? Which will include:

• Both teams providing branded team giveaways to fans for the historic occasion.
• A National Anthem performance to be accompanied by members of the Grand Prairie Police and Fire Departments holding a giant American flag on the field during the National Anthem and flags to be presented by the Grand Prairie Police Color Guard.
• An aerobatic aerial display featuring a GB1 GameBird
• During the innings break, a 12-minute drone show produced by Sky Elements, the pre-eminent North Texas-based drone company, showcasing the arrival of the six new teams competing in Major League Cricket with their logos animated in the sky along with additional elements celebrating the first night of a new era in American cricket.

Major League Cricket (MLC) is the first professional cricket league in the US, and Grand Prairie Stadium is the first professional cricket stadium. The new 7,200 cricket-specific venue will host 12 matches in the championship, running from July 13 to July 30.

In a statement, Major League Cricket co-founder Sameer Mehta promises it will be an unforgettable experience for fans on and off the field.

"The drone show, fireworks and the pageantry traditional to American sporting events will provide a thrilling stage for the world’s best cricketers competing in the inaugural match of Major League Cricket," Mehta says.

Superstar players set to take part include Afghanistan T20 captain Rashid Khan, South African internationals Faf du Plessis and David Miller, West Indians Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, Australians Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Finch, England's Jason Roy, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, Sri Lankan Wanindu Hasaranga, India's Ambati Rayudu, and New Zealand’s Trent Boult.

Tickets are on sale at tickets.majorleaguecricket.com, starting at $30.