The San Francisco Unicorns are an American franchise cricket team, planned to be based in San Francisco, California, that competes in Major League Cricket (MLC).[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.
 | ||
| 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 | |
| Home ground | Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Stadium (planned) | |
| Capacity | 15,000 (planned) | |
| Official website | www | |
| ||
Plans are underway to build a stadium at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.[1] The stadium is expected to have a capacity of 15,000 people. The team currently plays at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and will continue to do so until the new stadium is completed.[2] In March 2023, Cricket Victoria announced their partnership with the Unicorns for the opening season.[3]
History
editCricket 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.[4] 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.[5] The team is owned by Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, and the team partnered with the Australia's Cricket Victoria for the first season.[3] 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
editThe Unicorns signed the first overseas player signed in the inaugural MLC — Australian international Aaron Finch. He was subsequently announced as the captain.[6] 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.[7] In May 2023, the team announced direct signing of South African pacer, Lungi Ngidi.[8] On 20 June 2023, Unicorns announced former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson as their head coach for the 2023 season.[9]
The team finished fifth in the tournament, winning just two of their five league matches.[10] 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
editIn 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.[11] The date was later moved to July 5.[12]
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.[13]
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.[14] An additional draft is scheduled for June 16 in order for teams to complete their squads.[15]
Hassan Khan, Tajinder Singh ,Karima Gore and Jahmar Hamilton were prominent names picked in the domestic round of the draft.[16]
Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Henry and Josh Inglis were also announced as direct overseas signing by the Unicorns for their second season.[17][18]
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.[19]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.[20]
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
|
April 22, 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2023 | Direct signing |
| Matthew Short |  Australia
|
November 8, 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | Australia
|
April 11, 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Sherfane Rutherford |  West Indies
|
15 August 1998 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast medium | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| All-rounders | Corey Anderson |  United States
|
December 13, 1990 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | 2023 | Captain |
| Karima Gore | United States
|
June 25, 1998 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | ||
| Sanjay Krishnamurthi | United States
|
June 2, 2003 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2023 | U23 player | |
| Tajinder Singh |  India
|
May 25, 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | 2024 | Released and re-drafted in 2024 | |
| Wicket-keepers | Jahmar Hamilton | West Indies
|
September 22, 1990 | Right-handed | — | 2024 | |
| Josh Inglis | Australia
|
March 4, 1994 | Right-handed | — | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Bowlers | Pat Cummins | Australia |
8 March 1993 | Right-handed | Right arm fast | 2024 | Direct signing; |
| Brody Couch | Australia
|
December 5, 1999 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | 2023 | ||
| Carmi le Roux |  South Africa
|
March 30, 1993 | Right-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | 2023 | ||
| Hassan Khan |  Pakistan
|
October 16, 1998 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | ||
| Liam Plunkett |  England
|
April 6, 1985 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2023 | ||
| Haris Rauf | Pakistan
|
November 7, 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2023 | Direct signing | |
| Matt Henry | New Zealand
|
14 December 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Abrar Ahmed | Pakistan
|
16 October 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2024 | Direct signing |
Administration and support staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Shane Watson |
Seasons
editSeasons
edit| Year | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5th out of 6 | League stage |
- 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 |
| Source: ESPNCricinfo[21] | ||||
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.
- ^ Peter Della Penna (March 18, 2023). "USA T20 franchise league MLC projected to spend $110 million on facilities ahead of 2023 launch". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved March 30, 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 20 June 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Points Table–2023 Season". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "MLC 2024 set for July 4 start". Cricbuzz. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "MLC". www.majorleaguecricket.com. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL T20 SUPERSTARS RETURNING FOR MLC SEASON TWO". Major League Cricket. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "2024 MLC Domestic Draft Results". Major League Cricket. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Sagar, Singh (21 March 2024). "MLC Domestic Draft: Hassan Khan, Joshua Tromp draw top dollars. Smit Patel unsold". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "2024 MLC Domestic Draft Results". Major League Cricket. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Sagar, Singh (21 March 2024). "Texas Super Kings snap up Mitchell for MLC 2024, Shepherd goes to MI New York". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ @SFOUnicorns (13 April 2024). "From Melbourne to Delhi, Jake Fraser-McGurk is making big waves! And now he brings his talents to the Unicorns" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 April 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "MLC 2024: Pat Cummins set to represent San Francisco Unicorns marking his debut in T20 League". Crictracker.com. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Pat Cummins signs four-year deal with MLC's San Francisco Unicorns". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Major league Cricket Points Table". ESPNCricinfo. February 6, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.