Match Center

Right then, that is it from the exciting Challenger game between the Texas Super Kings and the San Francisco Unicorns. It will be the San Francisco Unicorns who make it through the finals to clash against Washington Freedom. The finals will be played on the 29th of July 2024. The first ball will be bowled at 6 am IST (12.30 am GMT) but our coverage will start much earlier. Join us for the season finale until then, goodbye and cheers!

Corey Anderson, the captain of the San Francisco Unicorns is up for a chat. He says that the whole team has chipped in when it mattered and it was a special win. Adds that everyone has fulfilled their role and is looking forward to the finals. Mentions that the bowlers knew the plan and he trusts them to do the job. Appreciates Juanoy Drysdale for his contribution and says that he bowled brilliantly in the middle phases. Mentions that his brilliant catch was important because Faf du Plessis was in brilliant form and hopes that it should have been taken earlier.

Faf du Plessis, the skipper of Texas Super Kings is up for a chat. He says that he didn't feel they were at their best and that the fielding was very average and that makes a difference in big games. Says that they weren't able to do the damage with the bat. Feels that the fielding wasn't up to the mark from both teams. Mentions that Joshua Tromp will get the confidence from this innings and will motivate him to kick start his career and work harder. Feels that they were 10-15 runs more and says that 185 could have been an ideal score. Adds that they lost a few wickets in the middle phase which got them under pressure. Concludes by saying that the best team won and that this season of Major League Cricket was a massive improvement from the first one and he wants to see support in the stands.

Finn Allen is the Player of the Match for his 101-run knock in just 53 deliveries. He says that the chase was close and the Super Kings had some good batters. Appreciates Devon Conway for his quality knock and his ability to score runs. Adds that the surface helped the batters and mentions that he wanted to get some time in the middle. Says that he wanted to target the areas down the ground. Feels that it is going to be a great finals and will use a day to freshen up.

The Presentation ceremony…

Earlier in the game, the San Francisco Unicorns got off to a blistering start with Finn Allen and Jake Fraser-McGurk firing all cylinders. They lost two quick wickets as Josh Inglis joined hands with Allen. Allen continued the onslaught and departed after scoring a ton whilst Inglis and Hassan Khan, towards the end played good cameos. For the Kings, Noor Ahmed picked up three wickets and was the only economical bowler. The rest of their bowlers leaked runs and eventually ended up with a mammoth 201 to chase.

Juanoy Drysdale is up for a chat and he says that it feels great to win. Adds that his family is watching him and it is a proud moment for them. Mentions that the plan was to stick to the basics and hit the good length spot. Says that the wicket of Marcus Stoinis is special for him and that one felt good. Says that it was tough to see the ball under the lights and hence the dropped catches.

A fighting innings by Devon Conway but they fell short. They started with a flyer courtesy of the explosive innings by Faf du Plessis. Aaron Hardie came in and played a cameo but after his dismissal, it was a rough patch for the Super Kings. Milind Kumar and Marcus Stoinis couldn't contribute much and crumbled under pressure. Then, Devon Conway stitched a strong partnership with Joshua Tromp where both got to their fifties and gave a strong fight. However, they fell short by a small margin and that means that their season ends here. It was a good performance by the batters but a few good overs could have taken them over the line.

OH MY WORD! WHAT A MATCH HAS IT BEEN! From high-scoring knocks to dropped catches, we have seen it all but in the end it is the San Francisco Unicorns who managed to defend their target and earned themselves a place in the finals. They started off poorly as they were put under pressure in the Powerplay. However, Carmi le Roux got the prized wicket of Faf du Plessis. They got their rhythm back in the middle overs with the spell of Juanoy Drysdale and Hassan Khan who got some quick wickets. However, Haris Rauf proved to be expensive and that got them under pressure. In the end, Pat Cummins delivered and defended the total well. However, they will need to work on their fielding and catching because it could prove costly in a low scoring game. They can now breathe freely as they get a day's break till the finals.

Full and angled into the batter. Joshua Tromp drills it to covers and ends the innings with a single. THE SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS HAVE WON IT AND WE WILL SEE THEM IN THE FINALS!

Pat Cummins delivers under pressure! Nails the wide yorker outside off. Joshua Tromp throws his bat at it and gets beaten.

Gets it right Pat Cummins. A slow bouncer over off. Devon Conway hits it flat to mid off for a single. Two sixes needed in two legal deliveries.

Full and outside off. Devon Conway drills it to deep point and runs a quick couple. 13 runs are needed of 3 balls. It is going to the wire.

On a length outside off. Joshua Tromp helps it towards fine leg for a single. That is clever bowling.

On a length over off. Devon Conway slaps it to mid off for just a single. 16 needed in 5 now. Another couple of good balls and it might be game over.

Wide! Oh no! On a length and outside off. Wided. Pressure on the bowler.

FOUR! MUSCLED AWAY! Full and around off. Joshua Tromp powers it over covers. The ball bounces over the ropes for four more runs to end the over. 18 needed of the final over now! It is game on.