Matthew Short's 94* in vain as Knight Riders book maiden MLC final berth

For the first time in four editions, Los Angeles Knight Riders reached the MLC final, edging San Francisco Unicorns by seven runs in a gripping Qualifier at the Oakland Coliseum. Before Rovman Powell exploded with an unbeaten 15-ball 50, Colin Munro and Andre Russell laid the foundation with composed fifties, putting Knight Riders at 187 for 3. Matthew Short's unbeaten 94 and Sanjay Krishnamurthi's 65 kept the Unicorns in the hunt through a 151-run third-wicket stand, but they ultimately fell just short and will now face the Eliminator winners in the Challenger.

The chase got off to the worst possible start for the Unicorns when Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Finn Allen were both bowled out by Sunil Narine in the first over. Short promptly responded by hitting four boundaries off Narine in the third over, and Carmi le Roux was run out for three fours in the fifth. Krishnamurthi then took the attack to Shadley van Schalkwyk, smashing two sixes and a four as the Unicorns raced to 62 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay. The pair continued to combine fluent strokeplay with smart strike rotation, taking the score to 95 for 2 at the halfway mark.

Short scored a half-century off 33 balls, and Krishnamurthi scored fifty off 36 balls to keep the chase on track and bring the total down to 47 off the final four overs. Despite giving up 12 runs in the 18th over, van Schalkwyk dismissed Krishnamurthi, who hit a six off Andre Russell to reduce the total to 36 from 18 balls. Russell then delivered a superb penultimate over, giving away only six runs to leave the Unicorns needing 18 from the last over. Van Schalkwyk held his nerve, conceding just 10 to seal Knight Riders' place in the final.

Earlier, after being sent in to bat, Knight Riders made a cautious start, managing only 18 runs in the first four overs while losing Andre Fletcher to Short. Munro kickstarted the innings with two fours and two sixes off Ghulam Mudassar in the fifth over, helping Knight Riders recover to 48 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay. After that, Russell continued to move the scoreboard with regular boundaries, including a six off Haris Rauf. Despite this, Knight Riders were only 77 for 1 after 10 overs, leaving plenty of work for the innings' end.

Before Russell hit another six off Rauf, Munro scored his fifth century of the season. With Munro's score at 110 for 2, Mudassar finally ended Munro's innings in the 15th over, breaking a 96-run partnership. After 17 overs, Knight Riders were at 131 for 3 with Russell scoring his fifty with a six off Hassan Khan and a boundary, while Matthew Tromp contributed with a six off Mudassar but soon fell.

Powell then unleashed a breathtaking assault. He struck two fours off Xavier Bartlett before hammering four sixes in a 28-run over against Rauf. He finished the innings with two more sixes off Bartlett and a single off the final ball, making it a stunning half-century and giving Knight Riders the late surge that was ultimately decisive.