AI Simulation, TSK vs LAKR | Faf du Plessis and Noor Ahmad shine in Texas Super Kings’ comprehensive win in MLC 2025

Pitch & Weather

It was a humid evening in Dallas with the pitch offering pace and bounce early on with the spinners getting some grip and turn as the game progressed.

Toss & Conditions

Los Angeles Knight Riders won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Lineups

Texas Super Kings: Faf du Plessis (c), Smit Patel (wk), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Marcus Stoinis, Milind Kumar, Donovan Ferreira, Calvin Savage, Shubham Ranjane, Adam Milne, Noor Ahmad, Nandre Burger

Los Angeles Knight Riders: Unmukt Chand, Alex Hales, Nitish Kumar, Saif Badar, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder (c), Andre Russell, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Corne Dry, Tanveer Sangha

Match Report

Texas Super Kings registered a crucial 24-run victory over Los Angeles Knight Riders in Dallas in the Major League Cricket 2025 season. Skipper Faf du Plessis shone with a half-century to power TSK to 187/6 in their batting essay before Noor Ahmad’s three-fer restricted LAKR to 163/9 in the chase as TSK climbed to second in the MLC 2025 points table. 

Put into bat first at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas Super Kings looked to build a platform, and it was their skipper Faf du Plessis who stood tall. After a brisk opening by Smit Patel, du Plessis took charge, combining elegance and power to strike seven fours and three sixes to top-score in the contest with a 41-ball 67. Though middle-order stutters followed, quickfire cameos from Marcus Stoinis (36 off 22) and Donovan Ferreira helped TSK reach a formidable total at the end of 20 overs. For LAKR, Shadley van Schalkwyk and Tanveer Sangha picked up 2/31 and 2/33, respectively, in their four overs.

Chasing 188, LAKR began with intent, as Unmukt Chand and Nitish Kumar found early boundaries after the dismissal of opener Alex Hales. But the innings lost momentum with a middle-order collapse as LAKR lost four wickets in quick succession. Though Sherfane Rutherford (31 off 15) and skipper Jason Holder tried their best to resurrect the LAKR innings, it was TSK who had the last laugh. Unmukt Chand was LAKR’s top run-getter with a 29-ball 41, a knock which included four fours and two sixes, while Noor Ahmad’s spell of 3/25 subjected LAKR to their fourth loss in five matches.

Player of the Match

TSK skipper Faf du Plessis was adjudged the Player of the Match for anchoring the innings with a masterful 67 and setting the tone for a defendable total.

Scorecard