San Francisco Unicorns cemented their position at the top of the MLC 2025 table with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Texas Super Kings, handing the latter their first defeat of the tournament. Explosive half-centuries from Finn Allen (78) and Matthew Short (61) propelled the Unicorns to chase down 199 with 23 balls to spare, effortlessly outshining a magnificent lone century from Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis.

Du Plessis’ Heroic but Isolated Effort

Asked to bat first, Texas Super Kings posted 198 for 5, largely thanks to Faf du Plessis’ stellar 100 runs off just 51 balls. Despite forming two significant partnerships—a 97-run opening stand with Devon Conway (who contributed a relatively slow 23 off 23 balls) and a 69-run second-wicket partnership with Saiteja Mukkamalla (38 runs to du Plessis’ 30)—du Plessis bore almost the entire scoring burden, contributing exactly 100 of the 166 runs in those stands.

The Super Kings’ innings lost momentum when Mukkamalla, du Plessis, and Marcus Stoinis fell in a quick eight-ball spell to Xavier Bartlett and Haris Rauf, derailing their charge towards a 200+ total. Du Plessis’ individual brilliance, his first fifty-plus score since April 29 in IPL 2025, included six fours and seven sixes at a remarkable strike rate of 200 before his dismissal.

Unicorns’ Blistering Chase

However, even a 200+ target might not have deterred the Unicorns’ openers. Matthew Short initiated the onslaught, racing to 33 off 16 balls in the first three overs while Allen was still finding his rhythm. But the dynamic quickly shifted. The fourth, fifth, and sixth overs yielded 10, 23, and 15 runs respectively, pushing the Unicorns to a formidable 83 without loss after the powerplay. At this point, Allen had caught up, scoring 34 off 16 balls to Short’s 46 off 21.

The relentless scoring continued, with both batsmen reaching their half-centuries. The 117-run opening stand was finally broken when Short holed out off Daryl Mitchell for a brisk 61 off 29 deliveries. Allen, who was on 52 at that point in the ninth over, continued his assault, eventually falling for a sensational 78 off 35 balls to the impressive Adam Milne. By the time Allen was dismissed, the Unicorns needed just 30 runs from 7.4 overs. Jake Fraser-McGurk then took charge, comfortably guiding his team home with a 25-ball 37.

This comprehensive victory marks the San Francisco Unicorns’ fourth win in as many games, while Texas Super Kings experienced their inaugural loss in MLC 2025.