The opening match of both teams Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 as he produced a fun contest in Dallas Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) passed on the edge San Francisco Unicorns (SAF) by seven wickets in a rain-shortened 14-run match. Chasing a tough target of 151, LAKR went on a brilliant unbeaten run. Colin Munro and a game-changing late cameo Jason Holder crossing the line with two balls to spare.
Earlier, a sensational half-century from the young South African batsman Juan-dre Pretorius Helped the Unicorns to a competitive result. Again, the result was insufficient against a determined Knight Riders batting line-up.
Colin Munro leads the chase as Jason Holder’s late fireworks stun the San Francisco Unicorns
Knight Riders took off thanks to Munro and Andre Fletcher. The opening pair added 70 runs in just six overs, putting immediate pressure on the Unicorns’ bowling attack. Fletcher played an aggressive 34 hands before departing, while Munro continued to control the chase but the attacking stroke. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 64 off just 40 deliveries, finding boundaries at crucial moments and ensuring the required run-rate never got out of hand.
However, with LAKR still needing 52 runs from the last four overs, the chase became strained. The turning point came at the 11th time Haris Rauf was attacked. Newcomer Holder mounted a stunning counter-attack, smashing two sixes and a four, while Munro hit a boundary as he scored over 23 runs.
A quick swing reduced the equation dramatically and allowed the Knight Riders to move toward the goal. Holder’s quickfire cameo proved crucial as LAKR completed the chase with seven wickets in hand to start their campaign on a winning note.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius shines in vain despite a strong start from the San Francisco Unicorns
After being asked to bat first, the San Francisco Unicorns were boosted by Pretorius’ sensational toss. The youngster dominated the powerplay and hit 58 off just 28 deliveries to help his team reach 48 for no loss in a revamped powerplay. supported by of Matthew Short In the 30th over, 160 looked good as the Unicorns reached 123/3 after ten overs. However, the Knight Riders bowlers made an impressive comeback during the death overs.
Carmi le Roux, Andre RussellCatcher and Shadley of Shalkwick combined brilliantly, conceding just 27 runs in the last four overs. Their disciplined effort prevented the Unicorns from taking full advantage of the platform created by Pretorius. Despite posting 150/7, San Francisco could not contain Munro and Holder during the chase. The win gave the Cavaliers a perfect start to their MLC 2026 campaign, while the Unicorns rallied from missed opportunities in the closing stages of both innings.
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Here’s how the fans reacted:
Los Angeles Knight Riders started the season with a win ⚡#LAKRvSF #MLC2026 pic.twitter.com/pkd9uul3fC
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) June 20, 2026
The @LA_KnightRiders Win a W in Match 2 of the 2026 Cognizant Major League Cricket season 🏆 pic.twitter.com/dEvWBw4kmW
— Knowing Major League Cricket (@MLCricket) June 20, 2026
The NorCal-SoCal derby belongs to LA. 💜⚔️#WeAreLAKR | #LosAngelesKnights | #LAKRvSFU pic.twitter.com/jDRh1JMsOR
— Los Angeles Knight Riders (@LA_KnightRiders) June 20, 2026
LAKR DEFEAT SF UNICORNS BY 7 RINGS.
– Colin Munro 64* off 40 balls.
– Andre Fletcher 34 off 17 balls.
– Captain Jason Holder 28 off 12 balls.A winning start for Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC 2026. pic.twitter.com/kapiZec7tO
— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) June 20, 2026
LAKR won their first match of this season against San Francisco Unicorns by 7 wickets.
Great shots by Colin Munro— YellowShade India (@YellowShadeind) June 20, 2026
𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭.𝐭𝐐.𝐒🏻
Los Angeles Knight Riders won by 7 wickets over San Francisco Unicorns. 🙌🏻 #WeAreLAKR #MLC2026 #LAKR pic.twitter.com/eTgBFBnAPP
— Knight Club: KKR (@KnightClub_KKR) June 20, 2026
Player of the Match Award on LAKR DEBUT. 💜
Colin Munro : One of the best Knight Riders.👌 pic.twitter.com/LTB9TpY29q
— Rokte Amarr KKR (@Rokte_Amarr_KKR) June 20, 2026
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS RECORD THEIR FIRST WIN AT MLC 2026. pic.twitter.com/oml4B9TaJh
— KnightRidersXtra (@KKR_Xtra) June 20, 2026
LAKR STARTS WITH VICTORY IN MLC 🔥
Sunil Narine takes out his KKR teammate Finn Allen and LAKR wins the match there 🔥 Narine’s shoulders are so strong that he literally carries every Knight Rider franchise 💜pic.twitter.com/iBs59Z1UQc
— Venky Mama (@venkymama100) June 20, 2026
🚨 Haris Rauf’s team lost the match 🔥..
– Colin Munro finishes in style ☠️🤯..#PCB #Haris #MLC pic.twitter.com/A0z5BZ6ioD
— Farhan Majeed (@MBilawalMajeed) June 20, 2026
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