MLC 2025: Unbeaten San Francisco Unicorns Charge Into Playoffs After 32-Run Win Over Orcas

San Francisco Unicorns continued their dream run in MLC 2025 with a 32-run win over Seattle Orcas, becoming the first team to seal a playoff spot. The victory at Grand Prairie extended their unbeaten streak to six games, while the Orcas slumped to their fifth straight loss and remain bottom of the table without a single point.

Asked to bat first, the Unicorns put up 176 for 8 on a pitch that offered something for everyone. They lost Finn Allen early, but Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short stitched together a fluent 68-run partnership. Short was the more aggressive of the two, scoring 52 off 35 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes.

The innings briefly wobbled when Harmeet Singh dismissed Short and Hassan Khan in the same over. He ended with figures of 3 for 27, triggering a middle-order collapse. But Romario Shepherd brought the innings back on track with a blistering 56 off 31 balls, striking four boundaries and four sixes. Gerald Coetzee bowled well at the death, finishing with 3 for 34.

Seattle’s chase got off to a roaring start with 29 runs in the first two overs. Shayan Jahangir led the charge, hammering 40 off just 22 balls. But once Shepherd got rid of him in the 7th over, the innings lost all momentum.

Matthew Short returned with the ball to remove both David Warner and Kyle Mayers in the 8th over, breaking the Orcas’ spine. From there, the collapse was swift and dramatic.

Shimron Hetmyer and Harmeet Nayak tried to rebuild, but their stand didn’t last long. Haris Rauf took over in the final phase, ripping through the lower order with figures of 4 for 32. His pace and accuracy were too much for the Orcas tail to handle.

Seattle folded well short of the target, and San Francisco celebrated yet another comprehensive win. With six victories from six, the Unicorns are now the team to beat in the tournament.

Seattle, meanwhile, face an uphill battle to avoid finishing the season winless.