San Francisco Unicorns
 | ||
| League | Major League Cricket | |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Matthew Short | |
| Coach | Cameron White | |
| Owner | Anand Rajaraman Venky Harinarayan | |
| Manager | David Mann | |
| Team information | ||
| City | San Francisco, California, United States | |
| Colours | Orange and Blue | |
| Founded | 2023 | |
| Home ground | Oakland Coliseum | |
| Capacity | 12,000 | |
| Official website | www | |
| ||
 2026 San Francisco Unicorns season | ||
The San Francisco Unicorns are an American professional Twenty20 cricket team based in the San Francisco Bay Area that competes in Major League Cricket (MLC).[1] The team's home ground is the Oakland Coliseum.[1]
In 2023, it was announced as one of the six teams to participate in the league's inaugural season. The team is owned by Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, co-founders of Cambrian ventures. In March 2023, Cricket Victoria announced their partnership with the Unicorns for the opening season.[2]
History
Cricket has been growing steadily in San Jose, thanks to cricket clubs like the Northern California Cricket Alliance. Looking at these growing numbers, the county supervisors have been planning to build a stadium in the Santa Clara Fairgrounds.[3] The Unicorns' minor league affiliate are the Bay Blazers, which competes in MLC's developmental league Minor League Cricket.
In March 2023, the team ownership, name, and logo was unveiled prior to the inaugural MLC domestic draft.[4] The team is owned by Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, and the team partnered with the Australia's Cricket Victoria for the first season.[2] Justin Gaele, MLC tournament director emphasizing about the Unicorns, told that the Bay Area could serve as the launchpad for cricket in the United States.
2023 season
The Unicorns signed the first overseas player signed in the inaugural MLC — Australian international Aaron Finch. He was subsequently announced as the captain.[5] Corey Anderson, Liam Plunkett, Tajinder Singh and Smit Patel were prominent names picked in the domestic round of the draft; Marcus Stoinis was also announced as another overseas signing by the Unicorns.[6] In May 2023, the team announced direct signing of South African pacer, Lungi Ngidi.[7] On June 20, 2023, Unicorns announced former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson as their head coach for the 2023 season.[8]
The team finished fifth in the tournament, winning just two of their five league matches.[9] They were tied on points with the MI New York, but could not advance to the play-offs due to their negative net run rate.
2024 season
In December 2023, it was announced that the second season of the tournament would begin on July 4, 2024, four days after the conclusion of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[10] The date was later moved to July 5.[11]
On February 15, 2024, the overseas players Harris Rauf and Finn Allen were retained. On March 1, 2024, the domestic player retention list was announced. Corey Anderson, Liam Plunkett, Carmi le Roux, Brody Couch, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi were among the domestic players that were retained.[12]
The domestic players' draft was virtually held on March 21, 2024, with a total of 20 players being picked by the teams over 10 rounds.[13] An additional draft is scheduled for June 16 in order for teams to complete their squads.[14]
Hassan Khan, Tajinder Singh, Karima Gore, and Jahmar Hamilton were prominent names picked in the domestic round of the draft.[15]
Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Henry, and Josh Inglis were also announced as direct overseas signing by the Unicorns for their second season.[16][17]
In June 2024, the team announced direct signing of Australia Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins. After signing a four-year contract with the team, Cummins is expected to fill in the leadership vacuum at the Unicorns after Aaron Finch's retirement.[18] He was subsequently announced as the captain.
Pat Cummins has signed a four-year contract with San Francisco Unicorns, becoming one of the highest-profile players on the roster of a Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise.[19]
2026 Season
Ahead of the 2026 season, the Unicorns retained captain Matthew Short, Finn Allen, Haris Rauf, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Hassan Khan and other key players, while adding Aakarshit Gomel, Zia-ul-Haq, Muhammad Ilyas, Saideep Ganesh and Anirudh Imanuel through the Major League Cricket draft.[20]
The Unicorns also signed Aaron Hardie,[21] Oliver Peake[22] and Lhuan-dré Pretorius ahead of the tournament.[23] After Cooper Connolly was ruled out through injury, Connor Esterhuizen joined the squad as his replacement.[24]
The Unicorns began their campaign with a victory over Los Angeles Knight Riders, followed by wins against Texas Super Kings, MI New York and Washington Freedom to extend their unbeaten start. They later defeated Seattle Orcas and continued their impressive run at the top of the standings before suffering their first defeat of the season against Los Angeles Knight Riders. They quickly bounced back with victories over MI New York and Seattle Orcas, the latter confirming a top-of-the-table finish at the end of the league stage.
Having finished first in the league stage, the Unicorns advanced directly to the Qualifier, where they were defeated by Los Angeles Knight Riders, forcing them into the Challenger. There, despite an unbeaten century from Matthew Short, they suffered a narrow seven-run defeat to Washington Freedom, ending their campaign one win short of reaching the final.[25]
Current squad
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| Name | Nat. | Date of Birth | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Year signed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||
| Matthew Short (c) | .svg.png){kind=small} Australia |
November 8, 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | Direct signing |
| Finn Allen |  New Zealand |
April 22, 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2023 | Direct signing |
| Oliver Peake | Australia |
February 6, 2006 | Right-handed | 2026 | Direct signing | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| Aaron Hardie | Australia |
January 7, 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2026 | Direct signing |
| Ravichandran Ashwin |  India |
September 17, 1986 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2026 | Direct signing |
| Hassan Khan |  United States |
September 5, 1998 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2023 | |
| Sanjay Krishnamurthi | United States |
June 2, 2003 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2023 | |
| Hammad Azam |  Pakistan |
March 16, 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2023 | |
| Aakarshit Gomel | United States |
Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2026 | Draft | |
| Anirudh Immanuel | United States |
2026 | Draft | |||
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| Lhuan-dré Pretorius |  South Africa |
March 27, 2006 | Left-handed | 2026 | Direct signing | |
| Saideep Ganesh | United States |
Right-handed | 2026 | Draft | ||
| Bowlers | ||||||
| Haris Rauf | Pakistan |
November 7, 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2023 | Direct signing |
| Xavier Bartlett | Australia |
December 17, 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2024 | Direct signing |
| Brody Couch | Australia |
January 20, 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2023 | |
| Juanoy Drysdale |  [[Wisconsin {{{altlink}}}|Wisconsin]] |
September 8, 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2023 | |
| Zia-ul-Haq | Pakistan |
November 3, 1994 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2026 | Draft |
| Mohammad Ilyas | United States |
July 19, 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2026 | Draft |
Administration and support staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Cameron White |
| Assistant coach | Ashwell Prince |
| Assistant coach | Chamu Chibhabha |
| Team manager | David Mann |
| Strength and conditioning | Saeed Ajmal |
| Physiotherapist | Jacob Oram |
Seasons
Seasons
| Year | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5th out of 6 | League stage |
| 2024 | 2nd out of 6 | Runners up |
| 2025 | out of 6 | |
| 2026 | 1st out of 6 | SF |
- C: champions
- RU: runner-up
- SF team qualified for the semi-final stage of the competition
Season summary
| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Ties/NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | ||||
| 2026 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Source: ESPNCricinfo[26] | ||||
Note:
- NR indicates No result.
- Abandoned matches are indicated as no result.
Notes
References
- 1 2 Kassel, Ethan (March 17, 2023). "Meet San Francisco's Newest Pro Sports Team, the Unicorns". The San Francisco Standard. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- 1 2 "San Francisco unveil Unicorns in Major League Cricket". Cricket Victoria. March 18, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ Nguyen, Kevin V. (November 17, 2022). "San Francisco Is Getting its Own Major League Cricket Team". The San Francisco Standard. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ "SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS CHARGE INTO MAJOR LEAGUE CRICKET". Major League Cricket. March 17, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ Penna, Peter Della (March 20, 2023). "Finch first overseas signing at MLC draft, named San Francisco Unicorns captain". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ Savage, Nic (March 20, 2023). "Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh sign on for inaugural Major League Cricket tournament". Fox Sports. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ↑ Lewis, Simon (May 28, 2023). "Lungi Ngidi signs for San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket". Bets.co.za. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ @SFOUnicorns (June 20, 2023). "Coach Watto. A cricketing icon with a championship DNA, @ShaneRWatson33 will be at the helm as our Head Coach. Let's give him a #SparkleArmy welcome #SFOUnicorns #MLC2023 #MajorLeagueCricket" (Tweet). Retrieved June 20, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Points Table–2023 Season". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ↑ "MLC 2024 set for July 4 start". Cricbuzz. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ↑ "MLC". www.majorleaguecricket.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ↑ "INTERNATIONAL T20 SUPERSTARS RETURNING FOR MLC SEASON TWO". Major League Cricket. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ↑ "2024 MLC Domestic Draft Results". Major League Cricket. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ↑ Sagar, Singh (March 21, 2024). "MLC Domestic Draft: Hassan Khan, Joshua Tromp draw top dollars. Smit Patel unsold". Cricbuzz. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ↑ "2024 MLC Domestic Draft Results". Major League Cricket. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ↑ Sagar, Singh (March 21, 2024). "Texas Super Kings snap up Mitchell for MLC 2024, Shepherd goes to MI New York". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ↑ @SFOUnicorns (April 13, 2024). "From Melbourne to Delhi, Jake Fraser-McGurk is making big waves! And now he brings his talents to the Unicorns" (Tweet). Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ "MLC 2024: Pat Cummins set to represent San Francisco Unicorns marking his debut in T20 League". Crictracker.com. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ↑ "Pat Cummins signs four-year deal with MLC's San Francisco Unicorns". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ↑ "San Francisco Unicorns confirm 2026 Major League Cricket retentions and draft additions". San Francisco Unicorns. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ "San Francisco Unicorns land Australian international Aaron Hardie ahead of 2026 title push". San Francisco Unicorns. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ "San Francisco Unicorns land Australian rising star Oliver Peake". San Francisco Unicorns. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ "San Francisco Unicorns add highly rated South African Lhuan-dré Pretorius to 2026 roster". San Francisco Unicorns. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Esterhuizen steps up to Unicorns roster as Connolly replacement". San Francisco Unicorns. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Unicorns Fall to Washington Freedom in MLC Challenger". San Francisco Unicorns. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Major league Cricket Points Table". ESPNCricinfo. February 6, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
External links
| Teams | |
|---|---|
| Seasons | |
| Final | |
| Draft | |
| Related articles | |
