Haris Rauf, Finn Allen shine as Unicorns beat Washington in MLC 2025 opener

OAKLAND: San Francisco Unicorns opened their Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 campaign with a commanding 123-run victory over defending champions Washington Freedom, thanks to a record-breaking knock from Finn Allen and a fiery bowling display led by Haris Rauf.

After being asked to bat first, the Unicorns overcame early setbacks in the powerplay—with Tim Seifert dismissed by Jack Edwards and Jake Fraser-McGurk falling to Saurabh Netravalkar—to post a mammoth 269/5. 

The star of the innings was Allen, who launched a brutal assault on the Freedom bowlers, smashing 151 off just 51 balls—the fastest 150 in T20 history.

Allen’s onslaught included a record 19 sixes, the most ever in a T20 innings. He brought up his hundred in just 34 balls and reached 150 in 50 deliveries before falling on the first ball of the 18th over. 

His breathtaking knock was complemented by Hassan Khan, who provided late fireworks with an unbeaten 38 off 18 balls, including three fours and three sixes.

Sanjay Krishnamurthi played a key supporting role during the middle overs, particularly in the eighth over where he took Rachin Ravindra for 24 runs with four consecutive sixes. 

The Unicorns’ middle overs yielded runs in a flurry: 21, 12, 20, 12, 12, and 22 across six overs, taking them to 194/3 after 14 overs. Although they fell short of 300, the total of 269/5 set several MLC records and left Freedom with a mountain to climb.

Washington Freedom began their chase with intent, reaching 89/1 in the powerplay—outpacing Unicorns’ 67/2 at the same stage. 

Mitchell Owen set the tone with a rapid 36 off 13 balls, while Ravindra exploded with four consecutive sixes off Xavier Bartlett in a 25-run over.

However, the momentum shifted after Liam Plunkett dismissed Ravindra in the sixth over, followed by Owen falling in the seventh.

From there, the Freedom innings unraveled quickly. Only Jack Edwards (15) and Ben Sears (10) managed double digits as the defending champions crumbled to 146 all out in 13.1 overs. 

Haris Rauf and Hassan Khan both claimed three wickets apiece, while Carmi le Roux chipped in with two.

The Unicorns will look to carry their momentum into their next fixture against the Los Angeles Knight Riders on Saturday afternoon, while Freedom will hope to bounce back later the same day against the Seattle Orcas.