MLC 2025
San Franciso Unicorns started MLC 2025 with a 123-run victory over Washington Freedom © Sportzpics
Being the only team in the competition not to have qualified for the playoffs as yet, Los Angeles Knight Riders are set to kickstart their Major League Cricket 2025 campaign hoping to witness highs that have eluded the star-studded side over the past couple of seasons.
They have hedged their bets on a strong West Indian foreign core, and even as a couple of them are likely to be unavailable for the Saturday clash, there is little doubt over the quality the team possess on paper, yet again.
To confront them first up would be San Francisco Unicorns, a team that started the season with a dominant 123-run win over the defending champions in their tournament opener. They were able to exploit the conditions well in the opening game, with both the batters and bowlers being able to assert the plans well, but LAKR will now have the advantage of knowing what to expect from the conditions.
Finn Allen’s explosive innings probably took the attention away from some of the other players. But head coach Shane Watson would be naive to overlook Jake Fraser-McGurk’s continued struggle, especially with Matthew Short warming the bench.
When: SFU vs LKR, Match 3, Saturday, June 14, 2025, 2:00 PM (Local Time)
Where: Oakland Coliseum, California
What to expect: The opening encounter of the season, at the venue, provided a run-fest, and it shouldn’t be too different this time around as well. Even as Washington Freedom did employ a fair bit of spin in that game, it didn’t prove too effective.
Team News:
Los Angeles Knight Riders:The Sunil Narine-led side has a strong West Indian core. But with Sherfane Rutherford and Jason Holder unavailable due to national duties, it leaves them with little option.
Playing XI:Alex Hales, Sunil Narine, Unmukt Chand, Andre Fletcher, Nitish Kumar, Andre Russell, Saif Badar, Corne Dry, Ali Khan, Anrich Nortje, Tanveer Sangha
San Fransico Unicorns: Even as the option of Matthew Short is available, the Corey Anderson-led side is unlikely to tinker much with its line-up following an emphatic victory. McGurk’s struggles could be a point to worry though.
Playing XI: Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Cooper Connolly, Hassan Khan, Corey Anderson, Liam Plunkett, Xavier Bartlett, Carmi le Roux, Haris Rauf
© Cricbuzz
