Team Performances:
The San Francisco Unicorns have qualified and sit well placed at the perch with six wins in six games.
Almost everyone from the team has chipped in, be it the batters, the bowlers or even the all-rounders.
Matthew Short has done incredibly well since coming in to replace Corey Anderson as the captain, with three fifties in three games.
The Freedom are in a similar boat, with their only loss being against the Unicorns, in the first game of the season.
The Freedom have been a bit more reliant on a certain set of players, but it remains broad enough to ensure they are doing well.
Form Guide:
- San Francisco Unicorns: WWWWW
- Washington Freedom: WWWWW
Players to watch out for:
- Mitchell Owen – the leading wicket-taker for the Freedom and their highest run-scorer, Owen is having a season to remember and then some.
- Glenn Maxwell – the captain of the Freedom, he has already made a massive hundred and chipped in with vital contributions, with 227 runs in six games, and has chipped in with three wickets.
- Matthew Short – the Australian has 204 runs in three games and has crossed 50 in all of his games, while striking at 202, making sure the top-order keeps pumping out runs.
- Haris Rauf – the Pakistani speedster is having a season to remember with 16 wickets at 13.18 in six games so far, taking a wicket once every 8.6 balls.
Playing XIs:
San Francisco Unicorns (probable): Matthew Short ©, Finn Allen, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Hassan Khan, Romario Shepherd, Xavier Bartlett, Jahmar Hamilton (WK), Haris Rauf, Carmi le Roux, Brody Couch.
Washington Freedom (probable): Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra, Andries Gous (WK), Glenn Maxwell ©, Jack Edwards, Glenn Phillips, Obus Pienaar, Mukhtar Ahmed, Mark Adair, Ian Holland, Saurabh Netravalkar.
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: Mitchell Owen, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short and Finn Allen.
- Top Bowlers: Haris Rauf, Xavier Bartlett, Ian Holland and Mitchell Owen.
- Match Winner: San Francisco Unicorns.
