It Is LA Knight Riders vs Washington Freedom In MLC Final

India-West News Desk

OAKLAND, CA-The Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) will take on defending champions Washington Freedom in the 2026 Major League Cricket (MLC) final after both teams overcame the San Francisco Unicorns in the playoffs to book their places in the title clash.

The final match will take place at the Oakland Coliseum here on July 18, 4.30 pm, California time.

LAKR secured their maiden MLC final berth by defeating the Unicorns in Qualifier 1, while Washington Freedom booked a place in their third consecutive final by overcoming the same opponents in the Challenger despite a brilliant unbeaten century from Matthew Short.

Asked to bat first in Qualifier 1, LAKR posted 187/3 on the back of an outstanding unbeaten partnership between Andre Russell and Rovman Powell. Russell paced the innings with an unbeaten 62 off 50 balls, while Powell provided the late fireworks, hammering an unbeaten 50 off just 15 deliveries to lift the Knight Riders to a competitive total.

The bowlers then held their composure under pressure, restricting San Francisco to 180/4. Sunil Narine starred with figures of 2/28, while Shadley van Schalkwyk chipped in with 2/43. Short’s unbeaten 94 off 62 balls kept the Unicorns in the contest, but LAKR defended the target to seal a historic place in the final.

Given a second opportunity through the Challenger, the Unicorns once again came up just short.

Washington Freedom piled up 238/6 after being sent in to bat, with Andries Gous top-scoring with 73 off 40 balls. Mitchell Owen (42 off 19) and Steven Smith (43 off 20) provided a flying start with an 83-run opening stand, while valuable contributions from Rachin Ravindra and Nikhil Chaudhary helped Freedom maintain the momentum.

In reply, Short produced another exceptional innings, remaining unbeaten on 121 off 56 deliveries, including 11 fours and eight sixes. He almost pulled off an extraordinary chase despite losing partners at regular intervals.

Needing 22 off the final over, Short struck Mitchell Owen for a six and a four from the opening two balls, reducing the target to 12 from four deliveries. Owen, however, responded superbly with a string of accurate yorkers, conceding just four runs from the remaining deliveries to secure Washington’s place in the final.

Washington Freedom will now chase a second successive MLC title when they face a resurgent LA Knight Riders outfit seeking its first championship.