Texas Super Kings (TSK) bounced back strongly in the Major League Cricket 2025 season, ending their two-match losing streak with a dominant 52-run victory over Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
The hero of the night was all-rounder Shubham Ranjane, who played a brilliant knock of 70 runs off 45 balls, guiding TSK to a competitive total of 196/8 in their 20 overs.
The bowlers then stepped up collectively, with spinners Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad leading the charge to restrict LAKR to 144/7.Batting first, TSK found themselves in early trouble, losing three wickets for just 33 runs in the first four overs.
It was at this crucial juncture that Ranjane entered and stabilized the innings. He formed a vital 64-run partnership with opener Smit Patel, who chipped in with a steady 38 off 33 balls.
After Patel’s dismissal, Ranjane joined forces with Donovan Ferreira, and the duo launched a counterattack. Ferreira smashed a quickfire 43 from just 21 balls, including four fours and three sixes, while Ranjane hammered four sixes and six boundaries.
Despite being on track to cross 200, the quick departure of both set batters in the same over derailed their momentum, and TSK closed at 196/8.In response, LAKR’s chase began on a disastrous note. Akeal Hosein struck twice in his opening over, removing the dangerous Alex Hales and Nitish Kumar on consecutive deliveries, leaving LAKR reeling at 10/2.
Though Unmukt Chand tried to steady the innings with a 30-run knock off 30 balls and added 45 runs with Saif Badar, the middle-order collapse proved costly. Noor Ahmad applied pressure from the other end, and wickets continued to fall, leaving LAKR at a precarious 106/7.
With 91 runs needed from the final 20 deliveries, the match was well out of reach. Captain Jason Holder’s late cameo helped salvage some pride and ensured the margin of defeat didn’t severely damage LAKR’s net run rate.
However, the loss marked their fourth defeat in five matches, highlighting their continued struggles in the tournament.Meanwhile, the comprehensive win boosted TSK’s confidence and significantly improved their position on the points table.
BANG 💥 Ranjane smashed that ball to the moon 🚀 pic.twitter.com/bM3tdKnWhM
— Cognizant Major League Cricket (@MLCricket) June 25, 2025
This victory, their fourth of the season, propelled them to second place in the MLC 2025 standings. With key players finding form and the team performing cohesively, TSK will look to carry forward this momentum in the matches to come.