San Francisco Unicorns Dominate Seattle, Clinch First MLC 2025 Playoff Berth

The San Francisco Unicorns have clinched their place in the MLC 2025 playoffs, becoming the first team to do so after defeating the Seattle Orcas by 32 runs in Dallas on Wednesday night. The Unicorns remain undefeated, with six wins from six matches, solidifying their lead in the points table. The Orcas, on the other hand, suffered their fifth consecutive loss and remain at the bottom of the standings.

San Francisco Unicorns players celebrate their dominant win and playoff berth.

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

Asked to bat first, the Unicorns lost Finn Allen early. However, a 68-run partnership between Jake Fraser-McGurk and Short stabilized the innings and provided momentum. Fraser-McGurk contributed a quick 34 off 21 balls before being dismissed by Harmeet Singh. This dismissal triggered a collapse, and the Unicorns quickly went from 86 for 1 to 103 for 6. Short, who smashed seven fours and two sixes, was dismissed for 52 by Harmeet in the same over he removed Hassan Khan.

Shepherd then propelled the Unicorns to a competitive 176 for 8 with a blistering 56 off 31 balls, including four sixes and four fours. Gerald Coetzee also contributed with 3 for 34, taking key middle-order wickets.

Despite a promising start to their chase, the Orcas were unable to secure their first win of the season. Shayan Jahangir impressed with 40 off 22 balls, hitting a range of eye-catching shots. However, Shepherd dismissed Jahangir in the seventh over, breaking the momentum.

In the following over, Short struck twice, removing both David Warner and Kyle Mayers. The Orcas struggled to recover from these early setbacks and lost wickets at regular intervals. 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 impressive figures of 4 for 32.

Brief Scores:

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)