Captain: Corey Anderson
Coach: Shane Watson
Last Season’s Performance: Group Stage Exit
The San Francisco Unicorns concluded their inconsistent season by losing their final group stage game to the Texas Super Kings, despite being in a winning position. At 92 for 5 in the 14th over, TSK managed to secure victory with five balls remaining, thanks to Milind Kumar and Daniel Sams, who dashed the Unicorns' hopes swiftly. The Unicorns had started their MLC campaign impressively, defeating MI New York by 22 runs, with Corey Anderson playing a standout innings of 91 off 52 balls. Anderson finished as the team’s top scorer, accumulating 190 runs in five games.
In the draft, the Unicorns secured veteran Liam Plunkett for $70,000. The 39-year-old proved invaluable, outperforming younger bowlers like Carmi Le Roux and Haris Rauf in both wickets and economy rate. Conversely, captain Aaron Finch had a challenging tournament, scoring only 68 runs at a strike rate of 88. Other international stars, such as Marcus Stoinis and Finn Allen, struggled as well, failing to score over 40 runs in any of their five innings.
International Players:
The Unicorns revamped their international lineup, notably signing Pat Cummins. Despite the temptation to make Cummins captain after Aaron Finch's retirement, the leadership role was given to Corey Anderson due to his familiarity with local conditions. Rising star Jake Fraser McGurk aims to replicate his IPL success, where he scored 330 runs at a strike rate of 234.04. Finn Allen retained his spot despite a mediocre previous season, while Josh Inglis and Sherfane Rutherford were brought in to strengthen the middle order. Fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Matt Henry are expected to be crucial to the Unicorns’ bowling strategy.
Domestic Players:
In the MLC domestic draft, the Unicorns acquired former Pakistan U19 captain Hassan Khan with a $75,000 contract, following his impressive performance in the Minor League Cricket tournament. Khan scored 220 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 181 and took 11 wickets with an economy rate under 5. He will join left-arm spinning all-rounders Sanjay Krishnamurthy and Karima Gore. Jahmar Hamilton, the former West Indies wicket-keeper, was rewarded for his consistent Minor League performances. Veteran Liam Plunkett returns for another MLC season, likely his last, while Carmi Le Roux remains the team’s only left-arm seam option.
Probable XI: Jake Fraser McGurk, Finn Allen, Josh Inglis, Corey Anderson, Sherfane Rutherford, Tajinder Singh, Hassan Khan, Liam Plunkett, Pat Cummins, Haris Rauf, Carmi Le Roux.