SF vs WF Match Prediction — Who Will Win MLC 2026 Challenger? SF vs WF

San Francisco Unicorns will face Washington Freedom in the Challenger of Major League Cricket 2026, held at the Oakland Coliseum, California, on Friday. San Francisco Unicorns lost Qualifier 1 by seven runs against the Los Angeles Knight Riders, failing to chase a target of 188 runs. Captain Matthew Short was the standout performer for SF, scoring 94 runs off 62 balls, but was unable to chase down the target.

Meanwhile, Washington Freedom won the Eliminator by six wickets against MI New York, successfully chasing the highest T20 target of 268 runs in 18.4 overs. Andries Gous smashed 132 runs off 51 balls, while Steven Smith scored 110 runs off 48 balls, helping his team to chase down the target.

See Also: Watch: Steve Smith's maiden MLC century powers Washington Freedom to the highest successful run chase in T20 history

SF vs WF Match Details – MLC 2026, Challenger

• Match: San Francisco Unicorns vs Washington Freedom (Challenger)

• Date: 17th July 2026

• Match Time: 7:00 AM IST

• Venue: Oakland Coliseum, California 

• Live Streaming: JioHotstar 

SF vs WF Pitch Report –  Oakland Coliseum California

The Oakland Coliseum offers something for both batters and bowlers. The pitch provides good pace and bounce, allowing batters to play their shots once they settle in. The average first-innings score at this venue is 190-195 runs.

• Win Batting First: 40%

• Win Bowling First: 60%

Average Score

• Average 1st Innings: 190

• Average 2nd Innings: 185

SF vs WF Weather Report – California Conditions 

SF vs WF Recent Form

SF vs WF Head-to-Head Record (Last 10 matches)

SF vs WF Injury News & Team Updates – Challenger

WF: Fully fit squad available for this match 

SF: All players are fully fit 

SF vs WF Win Probability – MLC 2026 Challenger

SF vs WF Key Player Battles to Watch 

SF vs WF Match Prediction Scenarios

Scenario 1: If SF bats first

• Powerplay Score: 45–55

• Predicted Total: 180–185

• Match Result: WF to win

Scenario 2: If WF bats first

• Powerplay Score: 50–60

• Predicted Total: 190–210

• Match Result: WF to win

SF vs WF Toss Prediction – Challenger MLC 2026

The last three out of four matches at this venue have been won by the team bowling first, so most likely the toss-winning captain opted to bowl first.

Prediction: WF will win the toss and opt to bowl first 

SF vs WF Probable Playing 11

Washington Freedom (WF)

Steve Smith (c), Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra, Andries Gous (wk), Ben Dwarshuis, Nikhil Chaudhary, Glenn Maxwell, Asif Mehmood, Obus Pienaar, Ian Holland, Saurabh Netravalkar.

San Francisco Unicorns (SF)

Matthew Short (c), Lhuan-dre Pretorius (wk), Finn Allen, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Aaron Hardie, Hassan Khan, Hammad Azam, Brody Couch, Xavier Bartlett, Ghulam Mudassar and Haris Rauf 

SF vs WF Challenger Player of the Match Prediction

• Andries Gous

• Steve Smith

• Matthew Short 

Who Will Win SF vs WF Today? — Expert Prediction Challenger

According to our SF vs WF who will win today MLC 2026, Washington Freedom are the favourites to win this MLC 2026 expert prediction. Steve Smith, Andries Gous and Mitchell Owen are expected to be the key performers.

SF vs WF who will win today MLC 2026: Washington Freedom to win

SF vs WF Match Result – MLC 2026 Challenger Result

(To be updated after the match - July 17, 2026)