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San Francisco Unicorns began their MLC 2025 campaign in style, crushing defending champions Washington Freedom by 123 runs in the tournament opener on Friday.
New Zealand’s explosive opener Finn Allen lit up the Oakland Coliseum with a historic 151-run knock off just 51 balls — the fastest 150 in T20 history. His innings featured a world-record 19 sixes, as the Unicorns posted a massive 269/5 in 20 overs after being put in to bat.
Allen reached his century in just 34 balls and got to 150 in 50 deliveries before being dismissed in the 18th over. His aggressive hitting was backed by Hassan Khan, who remained unbeaten on 38 from 18 balls, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi, who hammered Rachin Ravindra for four consecutive sixes in the eighth over.
The Unicorns’ batting innings was filled with fireworks, especially in the middle overs, where they scored at a rapid pace. Despite a few early wickets, the team recovered strongly and set several MLC records with their final total.
Washington Freedom began their chase positively, racing to 89/1 in the powerplay. Mitchell Owen scored a quick 39 off 20 balls, and Rachin Ravindra hit four sixes in a single over from Xavier Bartlett.
However, once Liam Plunkett removed Ravindra in the sixth over, the defending champions collapsed. Only two other batters — Jack Edwards (21) and Ben Sears (15) — reached double figures. Washington were bowled out for 146 in just 13.1 overs.
Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf led the Unicorns’ bowling attack with three wickets, including the scalps of Glenn Maxwell and Glenn Phillips. Hassan Khan also picked up three, while Carmi le Roux claimed two.
The Unicorns now move on to face the Los Angeles Knight Riders on Saturday.
