MLC 2023: Updated standings after Texas Super Kings vs Los Angeles Knight Riders, Match 1

The inaugural version of the much-anticipated Major League Cricket finally kicked off on July 13 at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Texas. The star-studded action-packed MLC tournament finally got rolling as Texas Super Kings took on Los Angeles Knight in a high-octane battle.

Texas Super Kings started brilliantly with the bat, courtesy of Devon Conway and David Miller who played some explosive cricket during the middle phases of the game. Santner and Bravo came towards the end to apply the finishing touches.

Knight Riders will certainly rue the missed chances on the field which resulted in the game drifting further away from them. They never got going with the bat either and lost too many wickets in the early part of the second innings which completely derailed them from the chase.

Following the conclusion of the first game, Texas Super Kings move to the number 1 spot and attained a healthy NRR of 3.450. They will play their next game against Washington Freedom on July 17.

Los Angeles Knight Riders have been blown away in today’s fixture which has pushed their NRR to -3.450. They currently rank second in the points table and will face MI New York in their upcoming encounter on July 17.

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Texas Super Kings Thump Los Angeles Knight Riders in All Departments

Los Angeles Knight Riders opted to field and put Texas Super Kings to bat first. After an initial burst by Conway in the first over, Texas Super Kings were jolted early on. Lockie bowled an eventful second over dismissing Du Plessis for a golden duck and also created a lot of opportunities for his side, some of which went down begging.

With Conway still at the crease, Texas were keen to keep their foot on the accelerator. At the halfway mark, Super Kings were cruising along nicely at 81/2. Conway was playing free-flowing shots while Miller on the other end was milking singles and also taking the odd risk whenever the situation called for it.

The duo tore into the bowling lineup and played some breathtaking shots which caused a lot of headaches for the Knight Riders captain. Conway and Miller put on an unassailable 3rd wicket partnership of 77 (49) which gave Texas Super Kings a much-needed platform to launch a big score. Conway raced to his 50 in fine style and scored at a scintillating strike rate of 148.64 which involved 7 fours and 1 six.

Miller however pushed on and got to his fifty in 34 deliveries. With a few lusty blows from Santner and Bravo at the end of the innings, Texas Super Kings eventually ended with a strong total of 181/6.

Knight Riders got off to the worst possible start as they lost their marquee opener Martin Guptill for not to Rusty Theron in only the third ball of the second innings. Three deliveries later Rossouw was dismissed once again by Theron by an absolute jaffa of a delivery. At 4/2 in the very first over, the troubles for Los Angeles Knight Riders began to mount.

Nitish Kumar became yet another Knight Riders’ batsman to register a duck as he too was dismissed on 0 by Calvin Savage. More trouble followed as Coetzee went through the defenses of Unmukt Chand for 4. At this stage, Knight riders were struggling at 20/4.

With the pressure beginning to build, Jaskaran Malhotra played a sensible knock and, together with Andre Russell, stitched a match-reviving 36-run stand in the space of just 14 balls. But the quickfire partnership soon came to an end as Coetzee struck in his second over by knocking Jaskaran Malhotra over with an absolute snotter of a delivery.

Nevertheless, Russell waged a lone battle by dragging the Knight Riders on his shoulders during middle overs. A steady partnership between Narine and Russell was developing but in the 12th over, Mohsin entices Narine to go for the big shot. In the end, Narine holes out to long on and Los Angeles slipped further to 103/6.

The Knight Riders’ batting faltered further and when Russell was dismissed for 55 (34). They slipped to a colossal 69-run defeat. Mohammad Mohsin was the man who struck at the backend of the innings and finished up the tail, picking up 4/8 in his three overs. Theron too bowled stupendously well with the new ball, picking up 2/16 in his 2 overs.