MLC 2024 Recap: Washington Freedom crowned champions in dominant season
Washington Freedom players celebrate with the MLC 2024 trophy. (Pic credit: Washington Freedom)
The 2024 season of Major League Cricket (MLC) wrapped up in emphatic fashion with Washington Freedom clinching the title in a one-sided final against San Francisco Unicorns. Held across two venues — Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and Church Street Park in North Carolina — the second edition of the American T20 league delivered thrilling cricket, standout performances, and a clear message: MLC is here to stay.
Washington Freedom, led by a well-rounded squad and clinical consistency, hammered San Francisco by 96 runs in the final to lift their maiden MLC title. The Freedom dominated the tournament from the outset, finishing top of the league table with five wins and a no-result in their seven matches, tied on 11 points with San Francisco but ahead on net run rate.
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All six franchises from the inaugural season returned — Washington Freedom, San Francisco Unicorns, Texas Super Kings, MI New York, Los Angeles Knight Riders and Seattle Orcas.
Matches were split between the 7,200-capacity Grand Prairie Stadium and the more intimate 3,500-seater Church Street Park.
Defending champions MI New York struggled to replicate last year's magic, just about edging into the playoffs thanks to a better net run rate than LA Knight Riders, after both teams ended the league stage with five points. Seattle Orcas finished at the bottom.
In the playoffs, Washington comfortably defeated San Francisco in Qualifier 1 to book a direct ticket to the final.
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Meanwhile, Texas Super Kings knocked out MI New York in the Eliminator but were outplayed by San Francisco in the Challenger, setting up a rematch in the summit clash.
Washington brought their A-game to the final, dismantling San Francisco by 96 runs, the biggest margin of victory in an MLC final to date. Their all-round dominance was reflected in the individual charts as well.
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Faf du Plessis
, captain of Texas Super Kings, topped the run charts with 420 runs, while Washington's Steve Smith and Travis Head followed closely with 336 runs each.
On the bowling front, Washington's pace spearhead Saurabh Netravalkar claimed the most wickets (15), with teammate Rachin Ravindra taking 12.
The tournament's MVP honours went to Travis Head, whose explosive batting was pivotal to Washington's title run.
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