MLC 2025: San Francisco Unicorns Charge into Playoffs After Dominating Seattle Orcas

The San Francisco Unicorns have clinched their spot in the MLC 2025 playoffs, becoming the first team to do so after defeating the Seattle Orcas by 32 runs in Dallas on Wednesday. The Unicorns maintain their perfect record, winning all six of their matches and solidifying their lead at the top of the table. For the Orcas, this marks their fifth consecutive loss, leaving them at the bottom of the standings.

Unicorns players celebrate their dominant victory over the Seattle Orcas, securing their place in the MLC 2025 playoffs.

The Unicorns' victory was fueled by impressive all-round performances from captain Matthew Short and Romario Shepherd, along with a four-wicket haul from Haris Rauf.

After being asked to bat first, the Unicorns suffered an early setback with the loss of Finn Allen in the second over. However, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Short stabilized the innings with a 68-run partnership for the second wicket. McGurk contributed a quickfire 34 off 21 balls before being dismissed by Harmeet Singh. This triggered a collapse, as the Unicorns went from 86 for 1 to 103 for 6. Short, who scored 52 off 29 balls with seven fours and two sixes, was also removed by Harmeet Singh.

Shepherd then took charge, smashing four sixes and four fours in a 31-ball 56, propelling the Unicorns to a competitive total of 176 for 8. Gerald Coetzee took 3 for 34, dismissing crucial middle-order wickets.

Despite a promising start to their chase, the Orcas were unable to secure their first win of the season.

The Orcas scored 29 runs in the first two overs, with Shayan Jahangir looking particularly impressive. He scored 40 off 22 balls, including a number of impressive shots. However, Shepherd dismissed Jahangir in the seventh over, breaking the opening partnership.

In the following over, Short struck twice, dismissing both David Warner and Kyle Mayers. The Orcas struggled to recover from these setbacks, losing wickets regularly. Shimron Hetmyer and Sujit Nayak attempted to rebuild the innings, but their efforts were short-lived. Rauf, who had earlier dismissed Heinrich Klaasen, wrapped up the innings by removing Coetzee and Hetmyer in the 16th over and Cameron Gannon in the 18th, finishing with figures of 4 for 32.

Match Summary:

• San Francisco Unicorns: 176 for 8 (Romario Shepherd 56, Matthew Short 52; Harmeet Singh 3-22, Gerald Coetzee 3-34)
• Seattle Orcas: 144 all out (Shayan Jahangir 40; Haris Rauf 4-32, Short 3-12)