SFU vs WSF, Major League Cricket 2026 Qualifier 2: As the Major League Cricket 2026 nears the end, San Francisco Unicorns have the last chance to reach the final of the tournament as they face an upbeat Washington Freedom in the Qualifier 2 at the Oakland Coliseum. It is the last chance for the Freedom too and the fans are promised a cracking contest as the Los Angeles Knight Riders await their opponents in the decider.
The Unicorns’ bowling might need some tweaks after considering too many runs in Qualifier 1, headlined by Haris Rauf leaking 53 in his four wicketless overs as Rovman Powell hammered four sixes in an over. The Unicorns did threaten to chase down 188 after Matthew Short’s 94* and Sanjay Krishnamurthi’s 65 only to fall seven runs short in the end. Meanwhile, Freedom will need tweaks in their bowling too after conceding 266 against defending champions MI New York but the confidence of the batters will have reached the stratosphere after chasing down the total with two overs to spare. But Freedom will know such days won’t come often and must fix the loopholes.
Match Details
- Match:Â San Francisco Unicorns vs Washington Freedom, 1st Quarter-Final (Qualifier 1), MLC 2026
- Date:Â Friday, July 17, 2026
- Time: 7:00 AM IST (July 16, 9:30 PM EST)
- Venue:Â Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, California.
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Pitch Report
The two playoff matches hosted by the venue have provided slightly contrasting games, with the Unicorns’ failure to chase down 188 and Washington hunting down a mammoth 267. The team winning the toss will still want to field first, given the overall history of the tournament.
Predicted Playing XIs
San Francisco Unicorns:Â Finn Allen, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Matt Short, Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Josh Inglis, Hassan Khan, Brody Couch, Haris Rauf, Xavier Bartlett, Peter Siddle, Carmi Le Roux
Washington Freedom: Steven Smith(c), Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra, Andries Gous(w), Glenn Maxwell, Nikhil Chaudhary, Ben Dwarshuis, Obus Pienaar, Ian Holland, Asif Mehmood, Saurabh Netravalkar.
Captain And Vice Captain Choices
Primary Captain Choice: Andries Gous
Andries Gous was arguably the most destructive batter across both innings in the Eliminator between MI New York and Washington Freedom. Gous smashed 12 sixes and 10 boundaries in his 51-ball knock as he began the assault that went on to engineer a stunning win for Freedom. Hence, Gous, who is the second-highest run-getter of the tournament, will have much more to produce in another big game.
Primary Vice Captain Choice: Matt Short
Matt Short ended the Qualifier 1 game against the Knight Riders unbeaten on 94 and will likely have rued not going hard at some stage of the innings. The Aussie batter is currently the fifth-highest run-getter in the tournament and has been a fairly consistent run-scorer too. Hence, he will be keen to produce the goods in Qualifier 2.
Alternative Choice: Steve Smith
Steve Smith produced a big knock of 110* in the Eliminator, vindicating his ability to stand up on big occasions. Although the veteran has been slightly inconsistent, there is no doubt over his potential to stand up in big games. Hence, he can be expected to play another solid innings.
Toss Prediction
- Toss Winner:Â Washington Freedom
- Toss Decision:Â Bowl First
- Reason:Â As mentioned above, the high scores being chased in the ground means the captain winning the toss will want to field.
Winner Prediction
 It’s extremely tough to choose between the two sides at this stage. But the prediction is for Freedom to edge out the Unicorns, mainly due to their confidence being high after chasing down 267 against MI New York.
