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San Francisco Unicorns face Washington Freedom in the Challenger of Major League Cricket 2026 on Friday, July 17, at the Oakland Coliseum in California. This is a knockout game. The winner takes on Los Angeles Knight Riders in the final on July 19. The loser is out of the tournament.
San Francisco Unicorns finished on top of the points table after the league stage but lost the Qualifier to Los Angeles Knight Riders by 7 runs on July 15. Washington Freedom finished third and kept their campaign alive with a record breaking run chase in the Eliminator, chasing down 267 against MI New York with 8 balls to spare.
Both teams have been among the form sides of this MLC season, and the Challenger sets up as a contest between two batting lineups capable of putting up big totals inside 20 overs.
SFU vs WF Match Details
- Match: Challenger, MLC 2026
- Teams: San Francisco Unicorns (SFU) vs Washington Freedom (WF)
- Date: Friday, July 17, 2026
- Time: 7:00 AM IST (Thursday, July 16, evening local time in Oakland)
- Venue: Oakland Coliseum, California
MLC 2026 Playoff Schedule
| Stage | Fixture | Result / Time |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifier | SFU vs LAKR | LAKR won by 7 runs |
| Eliminator | WF vs MINY | WF won by 6 wickets |
| Challenger | SFU vs WF | July 17, 7:00 AM IST |
| Final | LAKR vs Challenger winner | July 19, 7:00 AM IST |
SFU vs WF Head to Head (Last 5 Meetings)
| Result | Match |
|---|---|
| WF won | 19th T20, MLC 2026 |
| SFU won | 15th T20, MLC 2026 |
| WF won | 19th T20, MLC 2025 |
| SFU won | 1st T20, MLC 2025 |
| WF won | Final, MLC 2024 |
Washington Freedom lead the overall head to head 5-3 across the last 10 meetings between the two sides.
Squads
San Francisco Unicorns: Lhuan-dre Pretorius (wk), Finn Allen, Matthew Short (c), Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Aaron Hardie, Hassan Khan, Saideep Ganesh, Aakarshit Gomel, Brody Couch, Xavier Bartlett, Peter Siddle, Hammad Azam, Zia-ul-Haq, Ghulam Mudassar, Mohammad Ilyas, Haris Rauf, Cooper Connolly, Connor Esterhuizen, Stephen Wiig, Oliver Peake, Juanoy Drysdale, Anirudh Immanuel
Note: Ravichandran Ashwin has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury and is not part of the playing squad.
Washington Freedom: Steven Smith (c), Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra, Andries Gous (wk), Lahiru Milantha, Nikhil Chaudhary, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Obus Pienaar, Ian Holland, Saurabh Netravalkar, Jack Edwards, Glenn Maxwell, Amila Aponso, Mukhtar Ahmed, Lockie Ferguson, Abhishek Paradkar, Yasir Mohammad, Asif Mehmood
Where to Watch
India: Star Sports 2 (TV), JioHotstar (streaming)
United States: Willow TV
SFU vs WF Challenger fantasy team: Small League
A safe, balanced XI built around current form.
Wicketkeeper: Andries Gous (WF)
Batters: Steven Smith (WF, C), Matthew Short (SFU), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (SFU)
All-Rounders: Rachin Ravindra (WF), Aaron Hardie (SFU), Glenn Maxwell (WF, VC)
Bowlers: Marco Jansen (WF), Haris Rauf (SFU), Ben Dwarshuis (WF), Xavier Bartlett (SFU)
Gous and Smith both scored centuries in the Eliminator and are in career-best touch. Short and Krishnamurthi were the two standout batters for SFU in the Qualifier loss, putting on a 151-run stand.
SFU vs WF Challenger fantasy team: Grand League (with Differentials)
For grand leagues, a couple of differential picks can separate your team from the pack.
Wicketkeeper: Lhuan-dre Pretorius (SFU)
Batters: Steven Smith (WF, C), Matthew Short (SFU), Mitchell Owen (WF) — differential
All-Rounders: Rachin Ravindra (WF, VC), Aaron Hardie (SFU), Nikhil Chaudhary (WF) — differential
Bowlers: Marco Jansen (WF), Haris Rauf (SFU), Peter Siddle (SFU) — differential, Ben Dwarshuis (WF)
Mitchell Owen has been one of Washington Freedom’s most consistent hitters through the season and is a lower-owned pick compared to Gous and Smith. Peter Siddle has been used effectively in the death overs by San Francisco Unicorns and offers an alternative to the more heavily picked Bartlett or Rauf.
Pitch and Weather Report
Weather in California for the SFU vs WF match is expected to remain clear, with humidity around 77 percent and temperature near 16°C. Rain chance is around 1 percent.
Venue Stats: Oakland Coliseum
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 2 |
| Win batting first | 50% |
| Win bowling first | 50% |
| Average 1st innings score | 226 |
| Average 2nd innings score | 225 |
| Highest total | 270/4 (WF vs MINY) |
| Lowest total | 180/4 (SFU vs LAKR) |
| Highest total chased | 270/4 (WF vs MINY) |
| Lowest total defended | 187/3 (LAKR vs SFU) |
Note: the venue stats above cover matches played at Oakland Coliseum during the MLC 2026 playoffs only. The ground had not hosted MLC matches earlier in the tournament, so this sample size is small.
Recent Matches at Oakland Coliseum
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Qualifier: LAKR vs SFU | LAKR 187/3 beat SFU 180/4 by 7 runs |
| Eliminator: MINY vs WF | WF 270/4 beat MINY 266/9 by 6 wickets |
| 14th T20: LAKR vs SO | SO 154/7 beat LAKR 134/8 |
| 13th T20: TSK vs WF | WF 187/9 beat TSK 185/4 |
| 12th T20: LAKR vs MINY | MINY 144/6 beat LAKR 103 all out |
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Q1. When is the SFU vs WF Challenger match in MLC 2026?
The match is on Friday, July 17, 2026, at 7:00 AM IST, at the Oakland Coliseum, California.
Q2. Where can I watch SFU vs WF live in India?
The match will be telecast on Star Sports 2 and streamed live on JioHotstar.
Q3. Who is the SFU captain?
Matthew Short captains San Francisco Unicorns.
Q4. Who is the WF captain?
Steven Smith captains Washington Freedom.
Q5. Is Ravichandran Ashwin playing for San Francisco Unicorns?
No. Ashwin has been ruled out for the remainder of MLC 2026 due to a knee injury.
Q6. What happens if SFU lose the Challenger?
San Francisco Unicorns will be eliminated from the tournament. Washington Freedom would advance to face Los Angeles Knight Riders in the final on July 19.