Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) phir se haar gaye. Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 ke 20th match mein, unki ek aur thokar khaane ki kahani likhi gayi, jab Seattle Orcas ne unhe 5 wickets se hara diya. LAKR ke liye yeh chhati haar thi, saat matches mein, aur woh points table ke sabse neeche jaa gire. Par Seattle Orcas? Unhone apni doosri jeet ke saath thodi si ummeed jagayi, aur ab woh No. 4 par hain. Lekin, sach kahu, yeh jeet kya unki kismat badal degi?
Match Dallas ke Grand Prairie Stadium mein khela gaya, jahan LAKR ne pehle batting karte hue 202/4 ka score banaya. Andre Russell ne 65* (39 balls, 6 fours, 4 sixes) aur Rovman Powell ne 43* (21 balls, 2 fours, 4 sixes) ke saath shandaar pradarshan kiya. Par Orcas ke bowlers, khas kar Waqar Salamkheil (2-29), ne unhe thoda roka. Phir bhi, LAKR ke fielders ne do catch chhode, jo shayad match ka turning point bana.
Seattle Orcas ke liye, Aaron Jones aur Shimron Hetmyer ne kamaal kar diya. Jones ne 73 (11.1 overs mein) aur Shayan Jahangir ke saath 119 runs ki partnership banayi. Hetmyer ne 64* (26 balls, 3 fours, 4 sixes) ke saath chase ko last ball tak le jaakar jeet dilayi. Yeh unka doosra match tha jahan unhone last-ball finish kiya, pehle MI New York ke khilaaf 238 ka record chase kiya tha, jahan Hetmyer ne 97* (40 balls) banaye the. X posts ke mutabiq, Hetmyer ki yeh aggressive batting fans ke dil jeet rahi hai.
Key Player Stats (MLC 2025, Match 20)
| Player | Team | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Jones | Orcas | 73 | – | – | – | – |
| Shimron Hetmyer | Orcas | 64* | 26 | 3 | 4 | 246.15 |
| Andre Russell | LAKR | 65* | 39 | 6 | 4 | 166.67 |
| Rovman Powell | LAKR | 43* | 21 | 2 | 4 | 204.76 |
Yeh jeet Orcas ke liye ek nayi shuruaat ho sakti hai. 2023 mein, jab unhone pehli baar MLC khela, woh league table ke top par the aur final tak pahunche, par MI New York se haar gaye. Us season mein Quinton de Kock ne 264 runs banaye the, jo team ke liye sabse zyada the. Is baar, Hetmyer aur Jones jaise players unhe playoffs ki race mein wapas la sakte hain. Grand Prairie ka batting-friendly pitch bhi unke favor mein raha, jahan average first innings score 193 hai.
Par yeh sab ke bawajood, Orcas ke liye raasta aasan nahi. Unke agle matches San Francisco Unicorns aur Washington Freedom jaise strong teams ke khilaaf hain. LAKR ke liye toh ab playoffs ki ummeed almost khatam hai, aur unka yeh season ek aur bhoolne wala chapter ban gaya. Kya Orcas apni yeh chhoti si jeet ko bada kar payenge, ya yeh bas ek chhota sa spark hai jo bujh jayega?
