Ravichandran Ashwin missed his much-awaited Major League Cricket (MLC) debut for San Francisco Unicorns against Los Angeles Knight Riders. The team management raised questions about Ravichandran Ashwin’s fitness and his selection for the tournament opener and decided not to include him in the playing eleven.
San Francisco Unicorns lost to Los Angeles Knight Riders by seven wickets in a rain-shortened 14-over match in Dallas. South Africa’s young opener Luan-Dre Pretorius gave the Unicorns a strong start, but their bowling attack could not stop Colin Munro’s brilliant innings.
Why did Ravichandran Ashwin not debut in MLC 2026?
Sports journalist Peter Della Penna explained why Ravichandran Ashwin was left out of the playing eleven. He said the decision was part of the franchise’s workload management plan, with the Unicorns scheduled to play back-to-back matches.
Peter Della Penna, reporting on
Regarding Ashwin being kept out of today’s game, a Unicorns team official later said that it was a workload management decision by the management, with the Unicorns playing back-to-backs again tomorrow. As far as Ali Khan not playing for LAKR is concerned, a team official said that he has a hand injury.
– Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) June 20, 2026
Ravichandran Ashwin creates history by signing for San Francisco Unicorns in fourth season of MLC. He became the first former Indian international to participate in this tournament. Ashwin retired from international cricket in December 2024 and will step away from the IPL in 2025.
Before joining the Unicorns, Ravichandran Ashwin signed for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. However, a knee injury that required surgery forced him out of the competition.
Luan-Dre Pretorius powers San Francisco Unicorns into competitive total
The match was reduced to 14 overs due to rain, forcing both teams to make early changes to their plans. Batting first, San Francisco Unicorns were given a great start by openers Finn Allen and Luan-Dre Pretorius. The pair attacked from the very first over and crossed the 50-run mark in just 4.3 overs.
Pretorius performed brilliantly with the bat and scored 58 runs in 28 balls. The young South African hit four fours and five sixes during his explosive innings, taking the Unicorns past 100 runs by the ninth over. Matthew Short also scored valuable runs to strengthen the innings.
However, Los Angeles Knight Riders made a spectacular comeback in the closing stages. Carmi Le Roux, Andre Russell, Jason Holder and Shadley Van Schalkwyk bowled hard and conceded only 27 runs in the last four overs, preventing the Unicorns from scoring an even bigger total.
Colin Munro’s unbeaten fifty leads LA Knight Riders to victory
Chasing 151, Los Angeles Knight Riders got off to a great start through Colin Munro and Andre Fletcher. The opening pair added 50 runs in just 24 balls and immediately put pressure on San Francisco Unicorns. Fletcher quickly scored 34 runs before being dismissed, while Munro continued to chase the target.
LA Knight Riders needed 52 runs from the last four overs. Jason Holder changed the pace by attacking Haris Rauf in the 11th over. The West Indies all-rounder scored 23 runs in the over by hitting two sixes and a four and kept his team under control.
Munro remained unbeaten on 64 off 40 balls with six fours and four sixes as LA Knight Riders won by seven wickets with two balls to spare. The loss left the San Francisco Unicorns searching for their first win.