Seattle Orcas secured their inaugural win of MLC 2024 by defeating the Los Angeles Knight Riders by nine wickets at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. This triumph was highlighted by a strategic decision to include Ryan Rickelton, who scored an unbeaten 103 off 66 balls—his first T20 century. Rickelton, alongside Quinton de Kock, who scored 51 not out, formed a 152-run partnership, effortlessly chasing down LAKR’s total of 168.
Despite losing opener Nauman Anwar early in the third over, Rickelton and de Kock expertly guided the chase. Rickelton, who replaced Aaron Jones in the batting lineup, accelerated to 35 off 23 balls, helping the team reach 51 in the PowerPlay. By the 10th over, Rickelton surpassed 50, maintaining the required run rate even as de Kock took time to settle at the other end.
Rickelton dominated an over from Andre Russell with three boundaries and hit consecutive sixes off Shakib Al Hasan, preventing LAKR from applying pressure in the middle overs. This aggressive approach allowed de Kock to find his rhythm. Initially scoring 23 off 25 balls, de Kock then hit a reverse-scoop six and a four off Ali Khan in the 14th over, bringing up the 100-run partnership. Meanwhile, Rickelton surged into the nineties with a six and consecutive boundaries off Corne Dry in the 16th over. He completed his century off 63 balls, receiving applause from the dugout, followed by cheers for de Kock's fifty. The winning runs came in the penultimate ball, just shy of significantly improving their Net Run Rate.
Earlier, the Knight Riders managed a competitive score of 168, led by Jason Roy’s 69 off 52 balls. Roy's innings included five fours and four sixes but also 17 dot balls, reflecting his struggle with the pitch's pace. Unmukt Chand also faced difficulty, scoring 18 off 21 balls. Seattle’s decision to bowl first proved effective, with Zaman Khan and Harmeet Singh taking two wickets each, while Cameron Gannon and Imad Wasim remained economical. A late blitz by David Miller, who scored 44 off 22 balls, provided a lift, but it wasn't enough.
Brief scores: LA Knight Riders 168/5 in 20 overs (Jason Roy 69, David Miller 44; Zaman Khan 2-24) lost to Seattle Orcas 169/1 in 19.5 overs (Ryan Rickelton 103, Quinton de Kock 51; Spencer Johnson 1-28) by nine wickets.