Yes, you heard that correctly. The United States of America does have a cricket league of its own. And two major teams the San Francisco Unicorns and the La Knight Riders have fought out another game. The cricket league itself only started a year ago, the 2023 edition being the first. But now with the recently concluded World T20 in the United States and Caribbean, and growing interest in the domestic game, the game is set for takeoff in the US.
The league features six franchise teams, with some familiar names that would remind cricketing fans of popular teams from the Indian Premier League, the edition of the competition is off and running, With the San Francisco Unicorns getting their first win of the season. Downing a strong La Knight Riders side by 6 six wickets when chasing 166, doing so with 26 balls to spare.
A Measured Innings by the La Knight Riders
The La Knight Riders have a solid lineup. Featuring stars like Sunil Narine, who is the captain of the side, Shakib Al Hasan, David Miller, and Andre Russell. So it is a team that is not lacking in talent. Batting first, having been put in by San Francisco, the team from Los Angeles got off to a decent start despite losing captain Sunil Narine and Unmukt Chand early, reaching 44 for 3 in 6.3 overs.
The impetus for the batting team was provided by Shakib Al Hasan in the middle who scored 35 off 26 and Andre Russell later down the order. Who top-scored for the La Knight Riders with 40 off 26 with two sixes. And the team reached 165 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs. Not a formidable score, but not a bad one either. However, the trouble for the La Knight Riders lay in their bowling, which is not the strongest.
Too Much Power in the San Francisco Unicorns
If the La Knight Riders had any chance of winning the game they had to pick early wickets. And getting rid of the rising star Jake Fraser-McGurk for 9 was a good beginning for the fielding side. However, that is where the fun ended. New Zealander Finn Allen and Australian Matt Short got together for a solid 116-run partnership, taking the Unicorns’s total to 131 when Short fell. By this stage of the game, the Unicorns were in the driver’s seat.
Corey Anderson and Hassan Khan got together to see the San Francisco side home, giving the team the first win of the tournament. And the way things look the San Francisco Unicorns do seem like title contenders this season and would look to improve on their fifth-place finish in 2023. And the second season of league cricket in the US is the right time to do it.
Players to Watch out for San Francisco Unicorns and La Knight Riders
Whilst it is still too early to call but lot of people are excited to see how Jake Fraser-McGurk will perform. Will he live up to the expectations and become the dominant force at the top of the order? This Major League Cricket season will provide us with some indication. For the La Knight Riders, it would be Nitish Kumar. Whilst not exactly new to the game, he is a player that a lot of people will be watching closely. The Canadian-born captain of the US side had a major impact in the World T20 2024, and more will be expected of him.
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