Team Performances:
The Orcas finally recorded a victory as they chased down the 10th highest total in the history of T20 Cricket.
An elite batting performance from Shimron Hetmyer was all they required and coupled with the fierce pace of Gerald Coetzee, the Orcas may yet have a chance.
While the Knight Riders set-up a total of 200+ in their last game, they lost it as Washington pulled off an incredible chase off the final ball.
Andre Fletcher has shown good form, and their key bowlers remain to be Tanveer Sangha alongside Shadley van Schalkwyk.
Form Guide:
- Seattle Orcas: LLLLW
- Los Angeles Knight Riders: LLWLL
Players to watch out for:
- Andre Fletcher – the spiceman has 125 runs in three innings, including a massive hundred in his last match.
- Unmukt Chand – the leading run-scorer for the Knight Riders, Chand has 232 runs in six games this season and has been their only consistent performer.
- Shadley van Schalkwyk – the speedster has nine wickets in six games at 24.88, while he has been expensive, his wickets have all come at crucial times.
- Shayan Jahangir – the keeper-batter has scored 123 runs in four games, averaging a shade under 31 while striking at 156 and has also taken up the mantle of keeping wickets.
Playing XIs:
Los Angeles Knight Riders (probable): Unmukt Chand (WK), Andre Fletcher, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder ©, Saif Badar, Matthew Tromp, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Tanveer Sangha.
Seattle Orcas (probable): Shayan Jahangir (WK), Josh Brown, Kyle Mayers, Sikandar Raza ©, Heinrich Klaasen, Shimron Hetmyer, Sujit Nayak, Gerald Coetzee, Jasdeep Singh, Harmeet Singh, Cameron Gannon.
Pitch Conditions (Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas):
Average 1st Innings Score:
- 2023 – 167.41
- 2024 – 167.81
- 2025 – 205.66
Bowling Averages and Economy Rates:
- Fast Bowlers – Average – 29.40; Economy Rate – 9.00.
- Spin Bowlers – Average – 28.28; Economy Rate – 8.13.
Wickets Percentage based on Innings:
- Team Win Percentage when Batting First – 40.00%
- Team Win Percentage when Batting Second – 60.00%
Wickets Per Innings:
- First Innings – 6.50 wickets
- Second Innings – 5.65 wickets
Wickets per Phase:
- Powerplay (Overs 1–6): 1.47 wickets
- Middle Overs (Overs 7–15): 2.52 wickets
- Death Overs (Overs 16–20): 2.22 wickets
A thriller between MI New York and the Seattle Orcas, where the match total was over 450 runs has meant the average first innings total has shot up, with the pitch only getting better to bat on.
A venue where bowling has been a tough task, being a spinner has some advantages, but in the grand scheme of things, it is the batters who enjoy this venue.
Match Predictions:
- Top Batters: Shayan Jahangir, Unmukt Chand and Andre Fletcher.
- Top Bowlers: Shadley van Schalkwyk, Harmeet Singh and Tanveer Sangha.
- Match Winner: Los Angeles Knight Riders.
