Finn Allen suffers serious injury, ruled out for foreseeable future
Major League Cricket has neared its end stages, as the playoffs have begun with Qualifier 1 between Washington Freedom, the defending champions, and Texas Super Kings.
The Eliminator will be played between MI New York and San Francisco Unicorns, as the winner will advance to Qualifier 2. Just before the beginning of the playoffs, the San Francisco Unicorns suffered a huge blow.
The second-highest run-scorer in this season for the Unicorns, Finn Allen, has been ruled out of the remaining games due to a foot injury. Finn Allen was last seen playing in the match against the Los Angeles Knight Riders, where he was dismissed very early as his team chased a mammoth 244-run target.
Playing for the Unicorns, Finn Allen amassed 333 runs in 9 games, with a record-shattering 151 in the first game against Washington Freedom. His injury has ruled him out of the upcoming tri-series that New Zealand will play in Zimbabwe.
San Francisco Unicorns decide on no replacement for Finn Allen
The star batter has been ruled out due to injury at a very crucial time in the tournament, as Matt Short and Finn Allen have been the major contributors for the side in the run tally.
According to New Zealand Cricket, Finn Allen's recovery time can only be decided after he returns to New Zealand. New Zealand would hence name a replacement for the player in the meantime for the Tri-series. New Zealand begins their T20I series against South Africa at Harare on the 16th of July.
However, the San Francisco Unicorns have decided to remain faithful to the star player, as they have not opted for a replacement player.
The winner of the Eliminator will play against the Texas Super Kings in Qualifier 2
The Washington Freedom and the Texas Super Kings made it to Qualifier 1, having emerged as the top two teams on the points table. Qualifier 1 of MLC 2025 was unfortunately washed out, hence denying the Texas Super Kings a fair chance.
As per the rules, with no reserve day kept for Qualifier 1, the defending champions, Washington Freedom, qualified for the finals as they finished no. 1 on the points table with the most wins and most points.
Texas Super Kings will now have to feature in the Qualifier 2 match against the winner of the Eliminator, either the San Francisco Unicorns or MI New York. The winner would then go on to feature against Washington Freedom, who are looking to defend their title in the final.
Also Read: Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 Points Table
San Francisco Unicorns also miss the star all-rounder for the Eliminator
The San Francisco Unicorns have faced one blow after another, as, alongside the star batter, they will also miss the services of all-rounder Romario Shepherd for the MLC playoffs.
The West Indies all-rounder was a crucial contributor with the bat at times and picked up 8 wickets for them in 5 games. He has returned to Guyana to play for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Global Super League 2025.
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Tagged:
Finn Allen Major League Cricket San Francisco Unicorns MI New York Texas Super Kings Washington Freedom New Zealand National Cricket Team
