The San Francisco Unicorns have shown a very solid performance this season. The team has won 6 out of 8 matches and has now qualified for the playoffs. Their net run rate is slightly better than Texas, so they are number 1 in the table.
They lost against the Seattle Orcas in the last match, but the match was close. Tim Seifert scored 31*Sanjay Krishnamurthi played a good knock of 41 and Fraser-McGurk also added 35 runs. In bowling, Xavier Bartlett took 2 wickets, but Shimron Hetmyer turned their game around with his 78* runs. The team is overall balanced. The top order is going a little slow but the middle and lower order are performing well. If the bowling becomes a little tight, then this team can reach the final.
The Texas Super Kings have also reached the playoffs. They have also won 6 out of 8 matches. They are on the right track in terms of form as well. The team has won its last 3 matches and confidence is high.
The last match against Washington Freedom was 5-overs but TSK made a blast in that too. Shubham Ranjane scored 39 runs in 14 balls and Ferreira added 37 in just 9 balls. Both of them raised the bar of bowling in the final overs. Bowling was also excellent. Burger, Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad took wickets and kept the run rate tight.
The Texas team is full of power hitters. From top to end all the players can turn the match. They have variations in bowling as well. If their top order gets going then it would be difficult for any team to stop them.
The surface at Central Broward Stadium in Florida is balanced, providing opportunities for both batsmen and bowlers. Fast bowlers can generate some swing with the new ball, but as the match continues, batting tends to become more straightforward. The typical first innings total at this venue hovers around 160, and the chasing team often holds a slight edge, primarily due to the conditions. Spinners find it challenging here as the ball tends to become somewhat damp. In the event of rain, the side that wins the toss usually opts to bowl first.
San Francisco Unicorns and Texas Super Kings have clashed a total of 4 times so far. Both teams have won 2-2 matches, meaning the rivalry is going on equally till now. No team is behind anyone. In every match, sometimes Unicorns were ahead, sometimes Texas made a blast. But in the last clash, Unicorns swept the entire game.
In the last match, Texas batted first and it seemed that their score would be unbeatable. Faf du Plessis scored a century – 100 runs in just 51 balls, 16 fours. Total became 198 in 20 overs. At one stage it seemed that this match was going only in one direction. But after that the batting of Unicorns took the whole game.
Matthew Short and Finn Allen finished the match in the opening itself. Both of them added 117 runs in just 8.3 overs. Finn Allen scored 78 runs in 35 balls, and Short also scored 61. Fraser-McGurk came and completed the remaining work. Unicorns chased the target of 199 in just 16.1 overs.
Texas bowlers proved very expensive. No one could maintain control. The power hitting of Unicorns put all the pressure on them. Even Faf's century did not work.
So now when both the teams will clash again, it is clear that both are in full form. But Unicorns will have a little psychological edge, because last time they had easily chased a target of 199. The match is going to be explosive once again!
Matthew Short(c), Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Hassan Khan, Romario Shepherd, Xavier Bartlett, Brody Couch, Liam Plunkett, Karima Gore
Injury Update: None
Smit Patel(w), Daryl Mitchell/Faf Du Plessis, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Marcus Stoinis(c), Shubham Ranjane, Donovan Ferreira, Calvin Savage, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Nandre Burger, Zia-ul-Haq
Injury Updates: None
Keeper: Finn Allen
Batters: Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk
All-rounders: Matthew Short, Hassan Khan, Marcus Stoinis, Romario Shepherd
Bowlers: Noor Ahmad, Xavier Bartlett, Akeal Hosein
Matthew Short
Faf du Plessis
Marcus Stoinis
Donovan Ferreira
Keeper: Tim Seifert
Batters: Faf du Plessis, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Sanjay Krishnamurthi
All-rounders: Matthew Short, Hassan Khan, Marcus Stoinis
Bowlers: Noor Ahmad, Xavier Bartlett, Akeal Hosein, Liam Plunkett
Saiteja Mukkamalla
Sanjay Krishnamurthi
Hassan Khan
Akeal Hosein
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