San Francisco Unicorns have become the first team to secure a place in the playoffs of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025, with Pakistan’s speedster Haris Rauf spearheading a flawless campaign that has stunned the competition.
Haris Rauf, who was retained by San Francisco for MLC 2025 despite a sub-par tournament last year, has rewarded his team’s faith as the best bowler in the league this year. The Unicorns remain unbeaten after six matches, sitting comfortably atop the points table with 12 points and a net run rate of +2.472—the highest in the tournament by a significant margin. Their qualification was confirmed following a dominant win over the Seattle Orcas, continuing a streak that includes victories over Washington Freedom, Texas Super Kings, and MI New York.
At the heart of their success is Haris Rauf, who leads the MLC’s wicket-taking charts with 16 scalps in just six games. Bowling with pace, purpose, and precision, the right-arm quick has averaged 13.18 and struck crucial blows across the powerplay and death overs, showing his complete mastery of white-ball rhythms in American conditions.
Haris Rauf’s opening spells have repeatedly jolted opposition top orders, and his partnership with fellow quick Xavier Bartlett has given the Unicorns a cutting edge in every phase of the game. Bartlett himself sits second in the wickets list with 10 wickets, offering vital support.
With the ball doing the damage, the Unicorns’ top order has more than held its own. New Zealand’s Finn Allen has lit up the tournament with 298 runs in five innings at a blazing average of 59.60 and a mind-boggling strike rate of 246.28, comfortably the highest in the competition. All-rounder Hassan Khan has also chipped in with crucial runs, while Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Romario Shephard have shown out on several occasions as well.
With Haris Rauf in red-hot form and the rest of the squad firing in unison, the Unicorns now look like clear title contenders. The Pakistani quick, known globally for his fiery spells in franchise cricket, is using this MLC campaign to underline his reputation as one of T20 cricket’s most dangerous weapons, and in doing so, he’s powering the Unicorns toward what could be a historic season.
