Texas Super Kings (TSK) bounced back to winning ways in MLC 2025, climbing to second place on the points table with a comprehensive 52-run victory over Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR). This marks TSK’s fourth win in six games, while LAKR suffered their fourth loss in five matches as the tournament reached its halfway point.

The foundation of TSK’s success was laid by explosive lower-middle-order batting from Shubham Ranjane (70) and Donovan Ferreira (43), complemented by a stifling spin attack from Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad, who collectively shared four wickets.

LAKR started strongly after electing to bowl, reducing TSK to 33 for 3 in just four overs, with Shadley van Schalkwyk claiming all three early wickets, including the crucial golden duck of Marcus Stoinis. Opener Smit Patel (38 off 33) then steadied the innings with a 64-run stand off 46 balls alongside Ranjane. However, Patel’s dismissal, scooping Andre Russell to short fine leg, proved detrimental for LAKR.

After Patel’s departure, Ferreira and Ranjane unleashed a furious assault. Ferreira began with back-to-back fours off Ali Khan before taking down Russell with a six and two fours. Van Schalkwyk’s final over then leaked 23 runs, including sixes to both batters, as the duo plundered 82 runs in just 40 balls. Although a mix-up led to Ferreira’s run-out in the 19th over, followed by Ranjane’s wicket two balls later, TSK managed to finish on a strong 196 for 8, a total that proved more than sufficient.

In response, LAKR’s chase never truly gained momentum. Akeal Hosein struck twice in consecutive balls early on, notably dismissing Nitish Kumar with a spectacular arm ball that rattled his middle stump. Unmukt Chand (30) and Saif Badar struggled for quick runs, taking the score to 39 for 2 in the powerplay. A cross-seam delivery from Stoinis then had Badar edging behind, and with the asking rate soaring above 12, the varied attack from TSK’s spinners and pacers kept LAKR firmly on a leash.

Sherfane Rutherford battled to 13 off 15 balls before being bowled by Noor Ahmad. Even the hard-hitting Jamaican duo of Rovman Powell and Andre Russell couldn’t turn the tide. Powell hit the innings’ first six in the 15th over, but Russell was soon deceived by a sharp wrong’un from Noor that drifted from leg stump to dislodge his off stump. With 95 runs needed from just 27 balls, LAKR’s chase ultimately fell well short at 144 for 7.