A brand-new season of Major League Cricket is about to start; only a few hours to go before the inauguration. Like the previous seasons, this year too cricket fans will enjoy this franchise league after the conclusion of IPL 2025. Through this article, we'll decode the squads of all 6 MLC teams and will try to project a chart according to the strength of the teams from low to high. 

A brief detail of all MLC teams:

Seattle Orcas:

In the previous season they finished at the bottom of the points table, and this year, their squad is not looking very promising. Despite the presence of Heinrich Klaasen or David Warner, a lack of proven talent can cause them another setback. 

Squad: Heinrich Klaasen (c), David Warner, Aaron Jones, Steven Taylor, Shimron Hetmyer, Rahul Jariwala, Shayan Jahangir, Sikandar Raza, Gulbadin Naib, Ali Sheikh, Kyle Mayers, Sujit Nayak, Harmeet Singh, Cameron Gannon, Jasdeep Singh, Obed McCoy, Waqar Salamkheil, Fazahaq Farooqi, and Ayan Desai.

San Francisco Unicorns:

A blend of power hitters and experienced candidates in the batting lineup can cause disturbance for the opposing teams. But the Unicorns' bowling department is far from balanced, especially their spin bowling column. If the batteries remain off, then they can face serious problems. 

Squad: Corey Anderson (c), Finn Allen, Matthew Short, Juanoy Drysdale, Romario Shepherd, Xavier Bartlett, Haris Rauf, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Tim Seifert, Callum Stow, Liam Plunkett, Brody Couch, Carmi le Roux, Hassan Khan, Cooper Connolly, Karima Gore, Hammad Azam, Achilles Browne.

Washington Freedom:

The defending champion will try their best to hold the title with a strong batting side on paper. But the team led by Glenn Maxwell may have to deal with inconsistency. As most of their star players were experiencing underwhelming performance in the recent past. So, Washington may need to buckle up for a more competitive season this year. 

Squad: Glenn Maxwell (c), Mukhtar Ahmed, Steven Smith, Mark Chapman, Saurabh Netravalkar, Amila Aponso, Abhishek Paradkar, Yasir Mohammad, Lockie Ferguson, Jason Behrendorff, Ben Sears, Obus Pienaar, Ian Holland, Justin Dill, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Jack Edwards, Mitch Owen, Andries Gous, and Lahiru Milantha. 

Read More: MLC 2025: Dates, Venues, Teams, Live Streaming details and Everything you need to know

MI New York:

One of the most consistent teams in the tournament. In both of the previous seasons, they qualified for the round of 4. But due to inconsistency, they have yet to win the title. With their new skipper Nicholas Pooran, MI will hope for a fresh start and balanced performance. Bowling and depth in the all-round department can be a major concern in this year's campaign. 

Squad: Nicholas Pooran (c), Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult, Monank Patel, Nosthush Kenjige, Heath Richards, Ehsan Adil, Sunny Patel, Rushil Ugarkar, George Linde, Quinton de Kock, Michael Bracewell, Naveen-ul-Haq, Kunwarjeet Singh, Sharad Lumba, Agni Chopra, Tajinder Singh.

Texas Super Kings:

The franchise has finished third in both MLC seasons but never qualified for the final match. On pen and paper their squad is looking pretty balanced with enough firepower in the batting and bowling departments. Super Kings can be a serious contender to win the trophy this time. 

Squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Devon Conway, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Smit Patel, Donovan Ferreira, Milind Kumar, Daryl Mitchell, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane, Joshua Tromp, Nandre Burger, Akeal Hosein, Adam Milne, Noor Ahmad, Calvin Savage, Zia-ul-Haq.

 

 

 

 

 

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Los Angeles Knight Riders:

Knight Riders can be the dark horse to win MLC 2025. With a bunch of established T20 cricketers, if they can perform as a unit, then the purple team can look unstoppable. They have a balanced squad with star power in all sections. 

Squad: Adithya Ganesh, Ali Khan, Alex Hales, Andre Fletcher, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Corne Dry, Jason Holder (c), Karthik Gattepalli, Matthew Tromp, Nitish Kumar, Rovman Powell, Saif Badar, Sherfane Rutherford, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Sunil Narine, Tanveer Sangha, Unmukt Chand, and Spencer Johnson.