- June 15, 2025
From an adrenaline-fueled chase, it became a free fall for the Los Angeles Knight Riders as they fell short by 32 runs against the San Francisco Unicorns in their match of MLC 2025. The spectacle at Oakland was electric as 220 loomed like a mountain, and LAKR, down the line, was hunting down the runs as they controlled the chase at 112/3 in the 13th over. That’s when the storm hit. Not the weather kind, but by way of momentum, decisions, and a masterclass of bowling from one man. From fireworks to ashes, let’s unravel the three core reasons why the Knight Riders fell apart at the hands of the Unicorns.
LAKR’s Middle-Order Meltdown Triggered a Domino Effect
Let’s discuss that middle-order collapse. The Knight Riders, after a flurry of runs from Fletcher and Chand and a brisk beginning, were on cruise control. Chand’s 53 was electric, and Tromp’s 41 suggested a party was on the way. But when Chand and Russell fell off consecutive deliveries to Haris Rauf in the thirteenth over, LAKR’s pursuit soon started to wobble like a soda can dented and shaken just too much.
Russell’s golden duck was the hammer blow. The Knight Riders lost 3 wickets for 29 runs in the space of 22 deliveries: a collapse fit for a Netflix doc on collapses! What followed was the usual T20 chaos: no consolidation, only wild swings and mis-hit heaves. The absence of a calm head amongst the paraffin in the middle-order meant the target was slipping away with each ball faced.
Jake Fraser-McGurk Unleashed a Tornado
When the momentum shifts, chances are Jake Fraser-McGurk is behind it. The Unicorns’ young Aussie dynamo became a one-man demolition squad, scoring 88 runs off 38 balls at a strike rate that was warmer than a summer in California—231.57! Not just the runs and the assault on LAKR. It was the timing of those runs. He strolled in at 5/1 and obliterated LAKR. The sixes poured out. Bowlers grimaced.
Fraser-McGurk made Narine and Russell look ordinary. His contribution allowed San Francisco to put the LAKR batsmen under philosophical pressure right from the very first ball. They were able to post a formidable 219. At no point did the Unicorns have to look back; all they had to do was defend like bulldogs and let the pressure do the work for them against LA.
Sloppy Death Bowling and a Toothless Finish
Now let’s not forget about the death bowling for LAKR, or the lack thereof. The Unicorns’ innings, which was at 167/4 after 14 overs, ended at 219/8, which meant they scored a whopping 52 runs in the last six overs whilst also losing regular wickets. Ali Khan and van Schalkwyk were punished for 34 and 50 respectively, gone was the correct yorker radar. The fielding intensity was lost in translation.
The Knight Riders ended up looking as if they were making excuses on a bad pitch in the final overs rather than choking the Unicorns’ innings. I’ve got a feeling that the tail brought a hammer blow of sorts, led by Rauf with his cameo of 16 runs from just 7 balls. LAKR were beaten in the mind, beaten with the bowling, and beaten frankly in the field at the critical stages of the match.
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