LAKR pip Washington Freedom in MLC 2026 final to clinch maiden title

Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) held their nerve in a last-ball thriller to deny Washington Freedom their second title and clinched their maiden Major League Cricket (MLC) trophy on July 18 to mark the end of the fourth season. Sunil Narine was the Player of the Match (POTM) in the final for finishing with figures of 3/13. He was also adjudged the Player of the Tournament primarily for his bowling, as he claimed as many as 18 wickets.

Freedom, led by Steven Smith, chose to chase in the summit clash at the Oakland Coliseum, but couldn't start as well as they wanted. The opening pair of Colin Munro and Andre Fletcher added 66 in 7.3 overs and eased the nerves in the dug out. Both batters looked fluent in their stroke play but missed out on their respective half-centuries.

Fletcher was the more fluent of the two, scoring a 27-ball 47 with the help of seven fours and a six at a strike rate of 174.07. On the other hand, Munro smashed four sixes in his 29-ball 40. It was Nikhil Chaudhary who got the two big wickets of Fletcher and then dismissed Andre Russell for a two-ball duck.

Freedom made a remarkable comeback after snapping the opening stand and didn't let any LAKR batter settle down, barring Matthew Tromp. Tromp held one end together till the second delivery of the 15th over as wickets tumbled around him. He scored 39 off 21 with the help of three fours and as many sixes, striking at 185.71.

LAKR eventually got bowled out for 164 in 19.4 overs. Ben Dwarshuis was the pick of the Freedom bowlers, finishing with figures of 3/31. Mitchell Owen, Chaudhary and Rachin Ravindra claimed two wickets apiece.

LAKR sink Freedom in last-ball finish

In reply, Freedom got off to a horrid beginning. They were languishing at 29/3 in just 4.5 overs with Owen, Ravindra and Smith back in the hut. But just when victory seemed distant, Chaudhary added 65 runs for the fourth wicket alongside Andries Gous and put Freedom's chase back on track.

While their partnership provided stability to Freedom's chase, it never conquered the asking rate. Both batters felt the pressure of the mounting required rate and perished while trying to up the ante, with Dwarshuis also sacrificing his wicket for the team's cause.

However, Obus Pienaar was determined to make a match out of it and played a brilliant counterattacking innings to put the pressure back on LAKR. Pienaar smashed 53 off just 24 deliveries at a strike rate of 220.83 before falling to Shadley van Schalkwyk on the second ball of the final over.

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— Cognizant Major League Cricket (@MLCricket) July 19, 2026

With three needed off the last ball, Van Schalkwyk nailed a yorker and ran out Lahiru Milantha as he tried to scamper back for a second to force the game into a super over to give a dramatic win to LAKR.

MLC winners list