San Francisco Unicorns
| San Francisco Unicorns Logo | |
| League | Major League Cricket |
|---|---|
| Personnel | |
| Captain | Corey Anderson |
| Coach | Shane Watson |
| Owner | Anand Rajaraman Venky Harinarayan |
| Team information | |
| City | San Francisco, California, United States (planned) |
| Colours | Orange and Blue |
| Founded | 2023; 2 years ago (2023) |
| Home ground | Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Stadium (planned) |
| Capacity | 15,000 (planned) |
| Official website | www |
|
T20 kit | |
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 planned home ground is in the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.[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
[edit ]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
[edit ]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 arte.
2024 season
[edit ]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 retained overseas players' Harris Rauf and Finn Allen Retained. On March 1, 2024, the domestic player retention list was announced. Corey Anderson Liam Plunkett, Carmi le Roux, Brody Couch, 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]
Current squad
[edit ]- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| Position | Name | Nationality[a] | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | Finn Allen | New Zealand | (1999年04月22日) April 22, 1999 (age 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2023 | Direct signing |
| Matthew Short | Australia | (1995年11月08日) November 8, 1995 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | Australia | (2002年04月11日) April 11, 2002 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Sherfane Rutherford | West Indies | (1998年08月15日) August 15, 1998 (age 26) | Left-handed | Right-arm fast medium | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| All-rounders | Corey Anderson | United States | (1990年12月13日) December 13, 1990 (age 34) | Left-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | 2023 | Captain |
| Karima Gore | United States | (1998年06月25日) June 25, 1998 (age 26) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | ||
| Sanjay Krishnamurthi | United States | (2003年06月02日) June 2, 2003 (age 21) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2023 | U23 player | |
| Tajinder Singh | India | (1992年05月25日) May 25, 1992 (age 32) | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2024 | Released and re-drafted in 2024 | |
| Wicket-keepers | Jahmar Hamilton | West Indies | (1990年09月22日) September 22, 1990 (age 34) | Right-handed | — | 2024 | |
| Josh Inglis | Australia | (1994年03月04日) March 4, 1994 (age 31) | Right-handed | — | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Bowlers | Pat Cummins | Australia | (1993年03月08日) March 8, 1993 (age 32) | Right-handed | Right arm fast | 2024 | Direct signing; |
| Brody Couch | Australia | (1999年12月05日) December 5, 1999 (age 25) | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | 2023 | ||
| Carmi le Roux | South Africa | (1993年03月30日) March 30, 1993 (age 31) | Right-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | 2023 | ||
| Hassan Khan | Pakistan | (1998年10月16日) October 16, 1998 (age 26) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | ||
| Liam Plunkett | England | (1985年04月06日) April 6, 1985 (age 39) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2023 | ||
| Haris Rauf | Pakistan | (1993年11月07日) November 7, 1993 (age 31) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2023 | Direct signing | |
| Matt Henry | New Zealand | (1991年12月14日) December 14, 1991 (age 33) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Abrar Ahmed | Pakistan | (1998年10月16日) October 16, 1998 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2024 | Direct signing |
Administration and support staff
[edit ]| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Shane Watson |
Seasons
[edit ]Seasons
[edit ]| Year | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5th out of 6 | League stage |
| 2024 | 2nd out of 6 | Runners up |
- C: champions
- RU: runner-up
- SF team qualified for the semi-final stage of the competition
Season summary
[edit ]| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Ties/NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Source: ESPNCricinfo[20] | ||||
Note:
- NR indicates No result.
- Abandoned matches are indicated as no result.
Notes
[edit ]- ^ Nationality refers to the national team that the player represents currently or the one they would be most likely to represent.
References
[edit ]- ^ a b Kassel, Ethan (March 17, 2023). "Meet San Francisco's Newest Pro Sports Team, the Unicorns". The San Francisco Standard . Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ a b "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 . 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 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.
- ^ "Major league Cricket Points Table". ESPNCricinfo . February 6, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.