washington independence achieved a spectacular victory in the 16th match of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026to defeat los angeles knight riders By six wickets at Pomona. A masterclass in bowling completely demolished the Knight Riders’ batting lineup, leaving their total uncompetitive. Washington chased down the target with 17 balls to spare and capped a dominant team performance with brilliant individual efforts. left arm fast bowler -Saurabh Netrawalkar Won the Player of the Match award for his brilliant spell that broke the backbone of the opposition team.
Saurabh Netravalkar and Mitchell Owen beat Los Angeles Knight Riders in the first innings
Opting to bat first proved disastrous for Los Angeles Knight Riders as they were bundled out for 108 runs in just 17.5 overs. The fall began early when ben dwarshuis bold andre fletcher For just 4 runs. while the opener Colin Munro Tried to take the innings forward with a patient inning of 25 runs in 31 balls, but he did not get any lasting support from the other end. Matthew Trump He mounted a brief counter-attack and scored 21 runs in 20 balls, but was out Michelle Owen There was a catastrophic decline in the middle order.
-Saurabh Netrawalkar An incredibly economical and lethal spell turned the game decisively in Washington’s favor. Netravalkar took 3 for 16 in his 4 overs, bowled 16 dot balls and completely halted the scoring rate. He took wickets extensively rovman powell (30 off 19 balls), who was the only Knight Riders batsman to show real intent, the captain jason holder (5), and dangerous man andre russell For a duck in three balls.
Appreciating Netrawalkar’s talent, Owen created havoc down the order and equaled his teammate, taking 3 for 19 from his 4 overs. ian holland Made a significant contribution in this too and took 2 wickets for 25 runs to clean up the tail. The Knight Riders fell from a relatively stable position and lost their last five wickets for just 17 runs, leaving their innings well short of a competitive score.
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Washington Freedom Cruise wins against Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC 2026
Chasing a modest target of 109, Washington Freedom’s road to victory was not entirely without early hiccups. Sunil Narine Bowling with utmost discipline, Owen was dismissed for 6 runs in the very first over and then clean bowled Andries Gus 6. With the score at 14 for 2 in the first three overs, Washington needed a steady hand to steady the ship, which came in the form of the captain steven smith And mark chapman.
Smith played the role of a textbook anchor, remaining unbeaten on a crucial 40 off 44 balls with the help of two fours and three sixes. He made an important partnership of 62 runs with Chapman, who scored 34 runs from 30 balls, which included 4 fours and a six. However, Chapman became Russell’s victim in the 12th over and Nikhil Chaudhary out on 15 runs Shadley Van SchalkwykThe goal was always within reach.
Smith, along with lahiru milantha (6*) guided Washington Freedom safely across the finish line in 17.1 overs, reaching 110 for 4. The six-wicket win underlined Washington’s balanced roster and clinical execution as they head into the MLC 2026 tournament with confidence.
Washington’s comprehensive win has lifted them to fourth from bottom in the points table#MLC2026 #WashingtonFreedom pic.twitter.com/4MvKhxz3Yx
– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) 2 July 2026
