Ravichandran Ashwin did not feature in the San Francisco Unicorns' opening match of MLC 2026 against LA Knight Riders as he continues his recovery from the knee injury that ruled him out of the Big Bash League last season.
The veteran off-spinner was set to become the first capped Indian men's cricketer to play in the Big Bash League with Sydney Thunder. However, he suffered a knee injury during a training session in Chennai and subsequently underwent surgery, forcing him to withdraw from the tournament.
Ashwin has not played a professional match since leading Dindigul Dragons to the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) title in July 2025. While the San Francisco Unicorns are known to use data-driven selection methods and tactical match-ups to determine their playing XI, Ashwin's ongoing recovery and lack of recent match fitness were key factors behind his absence from the season opener.
Munro's Unbeaten Fifty Sinks San Francisco Unicorns
The Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) defeated the San Francisco Unicorns (SFU) by seven wickets in a rain-shortened 14-over-per-side Major League Cricket clash in Dallas. Chasing 151, LAKR reached the target with two balls to spare, thanks to an unbeaten 64 off 40 balls from Colin Munro and a crucial 28-run cameo from captain Jason Holder. Earlier, SFU made a flying start through Lhuan-dre Pretorius' explosive 58 off 28 balls and Matthew Short's 30, with the opening pair adding 70 runs. However, Sunil Narine led LAKR's fightback with two wickets as the Unicorns were restricted to 150/7 after managing only 33 runs in the final five overs.
In reply, Andre Fletcher and Munro provided a brisk start before Holder's late assault shifted the momentum decisively in LAKR's favour. Munro then guided the chase to completion, sealing a thrilling victory with a boundary off Haris Rauf. When R Ashwin was picked for MLC, there were plenty of speculations about him sharing the same dressing room with the Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf. However, Rauf didn't have a great match as he returned figures of 0-38 in 2.4 overs.
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