The Los Angeles Knight Riders scripted history on Wednesday by reaching their first-ever Major League Cricket (MLC) final after defeating San Francisco Unicorns by seven runs in Qualifier 1 at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland.Powered by half-centuries from Colin Munro, Andre Russell and a late blitz from Rovman Powell, LAKR posted 187/3 before holding off a spirited chase led by Matthew Short and Sanjay Krishnamurthi.Despite the defeat, San Francisco Unicorns remain alive in the tournament. They will now play in the Challenger against the winner of the Eliminator for a place in the final.
Munro, Russell lay the platform
Asked to bat first after San Francisco Unicorns won the toss, Los Angeles Knight Riders lost Andre Fletcher for seven in just the second over.Colin Munro steadied the innings with a composed 51 off 44 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes. He shared a crucial 96-run stand with Andre Russell, who anchored the innings with an unbeaten 62 off 50 deliveries.The biggest momentum shift came in the final overs when Rovman Powell walked in. The West Indies batter smashed an unbeaten 50 off just 15 balls, hammering two fours and six sixes at a stunning strike rate of 333.33.Powell and Russell added an unbeaten 57 runs in only 19 deliveries to lift LAKR to a challenging 187/3 in 20 overs.For the Unicorns, Ghulam Mudassar claimed 2/42, while captain Matthew Short picked up one wicket.
Narine strikes early but Short keeps Unicorns alive
San Francisco Unicorns suffered a nightmare start in the chase. Sunil Narine removed both Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Finn Allen in the opening three deliveries, reducing the Unicorns to 1/2.Captain Matthew Short then rebuilt the innings alongside Sanjay Krishnamurthi. The pair added a brilliant 151-run partnership, bringing the chase back on track.Short remained unbeaten on 94 from 62 balls, striking 10 fours and two sixes, while Krishnamurthi made an excellent 65 off 47 balls with six boundaries and three sixes.However, Shadley van Schalkwyk dismissed Krishnamurthi in the 18th over before removing Aaron Hardie late in the innings. The wickets proved decisive as the Unicorns finished on 180/4, falling seven runs short.Narine returned figures of 2/28, while van Schalkwyk also claimed two wickets.
Powell named Player of the Match
Powell was named Player of the Match for his explosive unbeaten fifty.Reflecting on his knock, Powell said he still rated an earlier innings higher.“I still think the 73 in Pomona is the better innings. Today was a little bit of entertainment, you know, the fans got their money’s worth. But having said that, it was a very good all-round team performance.”He credited Munro and Russell for setting up the innings.“Yeah, we always talk as a batting group and say that we don’t want to lose wickets in clusters. Both guys batting at the top of the order, number three, and Dre, they played fantastically well. They laid the platform for me to go and do what I do. As I say, it’s good to be in a final. The guys have played some good cricket overall.”Speaking about batting on a challenging surface, Powell added: “I got just clarity. And by the time I went to bat, I had no choice but to do what I did. But it’s good to get a few on the bat, out of the middle. As a batter, you’re always looking to play those kinds of innings.”On reaching the franchise’s first MLC final, Powell said: “Yeah, it means everything. It’s a franchise that hadn’t qualified for the playoffs, and now we are in the final, one step away from our ultimate goal. It’s just for us now to take tomorrow to rest, plan, see how the game goes today, and see how best we can come out and put on a performance for ourselves and the franchise in a few days.”
