San Francisco Unicorns Beat Texas Super Kings by 7 Wickets — MLC 2026 Match Report

Texas Super Kings (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis (c), Saiteja Mukkamalla (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Milind Kumar, Shubham Ranjane, Wiaan Mulder, Donovan Ferreira, Amshi de Silva, Mohammad Mohsin, Nandre Burger, Hardus Viljoen

One change from the Seattle win: Hardus Viljoen comes in for Adam Milne — a like-for-like pace rotation, per Faf. The South African contingent now stretches to six, with Viljoen joining Rossouw, Mulder, Ferreira, Burger and the captain himself.

The big story on the other side: R. Ashwin is making his MLC debut for San Francisco Unicorns today. Off-spin, guile, and one of the sharpest cricket brains in the game — Matthew Short called it "really exciting" at the toss. A fresh wicket and a tacky surface is exactly the kind of conditions Ashwin has made a career out of exploiting.

San Francisco Unicorns won the toss and elected to field.

"So far the teams chasing has found it easier but once again the surfaces here have stayed consistent. Last time we played them it was a long time ago, we need to focus on today. We got some nice confidence from our last game." — Faf du Plessis

Head to Head: TSK vs San Francisco Unicorns

SF lead 3–2 all-time — and the recent swing is firmly in their favour. TSK won the first two meetings comfortably, both as chasers, but San Francisco have taken the last three in a row. That 2025 run includes a 7-wicket chase of 199 and a gut-punch 1-run win where TSK needed 2 off the last ball and couldn't get them. A rivalry that has tightened considerably.

Key Battles: Who Dominates This Fixture

TSK's top scorers vs SF: Faf du Plessis leads all scorers in this fixture with 180 runs in 5 innings (SR 181.82) — a staggering return across five meetings. Devon Conway added 147 in 4 innings (SR 130) before departing the squad. Among current TSK batters, Mukkamalla has 72 in 2 innings (SR 130.91), Joshua Tromp 65 in 2 innings (SR 138.30), and Donovan Ferreira a blistering 39 in 1 innings (SR 195).

SF's danger men vs TSK: Finn Allen is the one to watch — 194 runs in 5 innings (SR 184.76) against TSK, consistently destructive at the top. Matt Short adds 174 in 3 innings (SR 159.63). Hassan Khan has done double duty — 91 runs in 4 innings with the bat and 4 wickets with the ball against TSK.

Bowling picture: For TSK, Mohammad Mohsin leads wicket-takers in this fixture with 6 wickets in 5 matches (Eco 8.63). Against TSK, Haris Rauf and Hassan Khan have each taken 4 wickets, with Xavier Bartlett (2 wickets, Eco 7.88) the most economical of the main threats.

TSK Innings: Batting First at Grand Prairie

Powerplay Carnage: 44-3 (6 Overs)

Ashwin's debut was the headline, but it was the new-ball bowlers who made the early noise — and TSK's top order paid the price.

Matthew Short's decision to bowl first on a fresh, tacky Grand Prairie surface looked immediately shrewd. The pitch offered the seamers early movement and TSK lost three wickets inside the powerplay, finishing the first six overs in deep trouble at 44-3.

The key blow was Faf du Plessis, caught Hassan Khan off Brody Couch for just 6 off 7 — first ball of Couch's spell, a slower short delivery angling into middle, Faf going early into the hook and miscuing it straight to deep backward square leg. The captain gone cheaply, the anchor of TSK's batting order removed inside the powerplay. Mukkamalla lasted 2 balls before Peter Siddle had him caught behind for 1, and Milind Kumar followed for 17 off 11. Three wickets, none of them cheap to take in terms of who they were.

Rilee Rossouw (15* off 14) and Shubham Ranjane (4* off 5) were left to rebuild at the end of six. The asking rate was never the issue — it was damage limitation now.

The Middle Overs and Death: Never Enough

The rebuild was always going to be fragile with three top-order wickets gone in the powerplay, and so it proved. Shubham Ranjane fell for 7 off 10 and the lower order was arriving far earlier than anyone wanted.

Rossouw looked at ease from the word go — the one TSK batter who found rhythm on a surface that was giving most of his teammates trouble. He scored at a brisk pace and looked capable of anchoring a competitive total, but was run out for 36 off 29 at a crucial stage. That dismissal deflated whatever momentum TSK had managed to build.

Ferreira came in and struck a few lusty blows — 21 off 17, including a six — but he too was run out in the 18th over due to a miscommunication, Brody Couch and Matthew Short combining to end his innings. That dismissal, more than any other, was the turning point. It likely cost TSK 15-20 runs at the back end when they needed every one.

Wiaan Mulder chipped in with 12, and Hardus Viljoen did his best in the death — 33 off 24, three sixes — to drag the total up to something at least fighting. Nandre Burger's unbeaten 9 off 4 added the finishing touches.

TSK 152-9 (20 overs). Probably 15-20 runs short on this surface.

The SF bowlers deserve credit — they made the new ball count on a tacky pitch and never let TSK settle. Peter Siddle (3 wickets) and Matthew Short (2 wickets) were the chief wreckers; Ashwin went wicketless on debut. A brilliant team bowling effort that pegged TSK back from the very first over.

TSK's Lowest Successfully Defended Totals in MLC

152 would be the lowest total TSK have ever defended in MLC history — one run fewer than their previous best. They've done it once before, and that day they bowled Seattle out for 60. They'll need a bowling performance of similar intensity today against a far more dangerous top order. SF will fancy themselves to chase this down.

SF Chase: Pretorius Powers the Pursuit

TSK's only early relief came when Finn Allen — their most feared threat in this fixture, 194 runs at SR 184 historically — fell cheaply. The danger man was gone, and for a brief moment, 152 looked defensible.

It didn't last.

Lhuan-dre Pretorius walked in and played like someone in the form of his life. He combined with Matthew Short to stitch a partnership that put SF firmly in the driver's seat. By drinks at the end of over 6, SF were 65-1 — Pretorius 29(18), Short 27(15) — already cruising at a rate that made 152 look modest.

Pretorius and Short then took complete control — an 82-run partnership off just 47 deliveries, finding the boundary almost every over on a batting-friendly surface. Short was eventually dismissed lbw by a full delivery from Amshi de Silva for 31(19), but the damage was long done.

Pretorius, meanwhile, reached his fifty off 32 balls in over 9 — a driven single to long-on, soaking in the applause from his teammates. Back-to-back fifties in MLC 2026 for him. Connor Esterhuizen kept the momentum going with crisp hitting, bringing SF within striking distance before being caught by du Plessis off a wide, full ball from Viljoen for 20(18). Sanjay Krishnamurthi joined Pretorius and the pair calmly knocked off the remaining runs. Pretorius finished unbeaten on 69(55) (8 fours, 1 six).

San Francisco Unicorns won by 7 wickets (153-3, 17.5 overs). They got home with 13 balls to spare.

TSK's bowlers were never able to apply sustained pressure. Burger, Viljoen, and de Silva each picked up a wicket, but the 13 wides in the innings were symptomatic of a side that couldn't consistently hit their lengths. Ferreira (4-0-27-0) and Mulder (4-0-29-0) — the two most economical options in theory — couldn't manufacture the breakthrough TSK needed.

Result: San Francisco Unicorns won by 7 wickets

SF now lead the all-time H2H 4–2 — and it feels even more one-sided than that. TSK's last win in this fixture was back in 2024. Lhuan-dre Pretorius continued his rich vein of form with a match-winning fifty — back-to-back scores in MLC 2026, Finn Allen was contained for once, but the rest of the SF batting line-up had more than enough to see it through.

For TSK, the 152 wasn't enough and they knew it in the dressing room. The run-outs mid-innings — Rossouw, then Ferreira in the 18th — remain the defining moments of the match. Ten or fifteen more runs there, and this was a different game. Instead, SF barely had to extend themselves.