Los Angeles Knight Riders vs Washington Freedom Final Scorecard 2026: LAKR emerge champions with a thrilling 1-run win

Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) and Washington Freedom (WAF) faced off in a thrilling encounter in the final of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026. Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to bowl first in this match held at the Oakland Coliseum. Batting first, LAKR were all out for 164 runs in 19.4 overs. Andre Fletcher scored 47, Colin Munro scored 40 and Matthew Tromp scored 39 runs for the team.

Chasing a target of 165, Washington Freedom were eventually bowled out for 163/9 in 20 overs and lost the match by a dramatic margin of just 1 run. Abus Pienaar played a blistering innings of 53 off 24 balls but could not secure victory for the team in the thrilling final over. For LAKR, Sunil Narine and Jason Holder played a crucial role in the team's historic title win, taking three wickets each.

Table of Contents

Match details – LAKR vs WAF, Final
Los Angeles Knight Riders Batting – 164-10 (19.4 Overs)
Washington Freedom Batting – 163-9 (20 Overs)
Los Angeles Knight Riders vs Washington Freedom Final: Some Interesting Facts
Conclusion
FAQ

Match details – LAKR vs WAF, Final

Match LAKR vs WAF, Final
Series Major League Cricket 2026
Date Saturday, 18 July 2026
Time 4:30 PM Local
Venue Oakland Coliseum, Oakland
Toss Washington Freedom won the toss and elected to bowl
Result Los Angeles Knight Riders won by 1 run
LAKR Score 164/10 (19.4 Overs)
WAF Score 163/9 (20 Overs)

Check now for more cricket updates including Match Scorecard .

Los Angeles Knight Riders Batting – 164-10 (19.4 Overs)

Batter R B 4s 6s SR
Andre Fletcher 47 27 7 1 174.07
Colin Munro 40 29 0 4 137.93
Matthew Tromp 39 21 3 3 185.71
Jahmar Hamilton 10 10 1 0 100.00
Jason Holder 8 11 1 0 72.73
Saif Badar 8 4 0 1 200.00
Rovman Powell 4 6 0 0 66.67
Shadley van Schalkwyk 3* 5 0 0 60.00
Andre Russell 0 2 0 0 0.00
Sunil Narine 0 2 0 0 0.00
Ali Khan 0 1 0 0 0.00
Total 164-10 19.4 Overs RR: 8.34

Bowling

Bowler O R W ECO
Sunil Narine 4 13 3 3.25
Jason Holder 4 31 3 7.75
Shadley van Schalkwyk 4 50 2 12.50
Andre Russell 4 27 0 6.75
Ali Khan 4 40 0 10.00

Washington Freedom Batting – 163-9 (20 Overs)

Batter R B 4s 6s SR
Bus Pienaar 53 24 3 5 220.83
Andries Gous 40 35 2 2 114.29
Nikhil Chaudhary 25 24 3 0 104.17
Mitchell Owen 9 8 0 1 112.50
Steven Smith 8 13 1 0 61.54
Rachin Ravindra 7 7 1 0 100.00
Lockie Ferguson 5* 2 1 0 250.00
Lahiru Milantha 4 4 0 0 100.00
Ben Dwarshuis 1 2 0 0 50.00
Ian Holland 0 1 0 0 0.00
Total 163-9 20 Overs RR: 8.15

Bowling

Bowler O R W ECO
Ben Dwarshuis 4 31 3 7.80
Rachin Ravindra 3 23 2 7.70
Nikhil Chaudhary 2 32 2 16.00
Mitchell Owen 1.4 14 2 8.40
Saurabh Netravalkar 4 23 1 5.80
Lockie Ferguson 4 32 0 8.00
Ian Holland 1 8 0 8.00

Los Angeles Knight Riders vs Washington Freedom Final: Some Interesting Facts

Victory by just 1 run: Los Angeles Knight Riders secured the title by winning the Major League Cricket 2026 final by just 1 run.
Excitement until the last ball: The outcome of the match is decided until the last ball of the innings, which makes the final even more dramatic.
Sunil Narine's brilliant bowling: Narine took 3 crucial wickets for just 13 runs in 4 overs and shattered Washington's top order.
Jason Holder's all-round leadership: Captain Holder contributed greatly to the team's victory by scoring 8 runs with the bat and taking 3 wickets with the ball.
Matthew Tromp's quick innings: 39 runs off just 21 balls to help LAKR build a competitive total.

Check out our full Cricket Records section for more historical statistics and milestones .

Andre Fletcher's aggressive start: Fletcher accelerated the team's run-scoring pace in the powerplay by scoring 47 runs off 27 balls.
Abus Pienaar's fighting half-century: He finally brought Washington back into the match with 53 runs off just 24 balls, although he could not lead the team to victory.
The two teams were evenly matched: LAKR scored 164 runs, while Washington was restricted to 163 runs—the gap between the two teams was just 1 run.
Washington bowlers' success: Ben Doershuis took 3 wickets and Rachin Ravindra and Nikhil Chowdhury took 2 wickets each to keep LAKR from getting close to 200 runs.
A shock at the beginning, a fight at the end: Washington scored only 35 runs in the first 6 overs, but Abus Piener's stormy batting in the last 5 overs created new excitement in the match.
Top order failure: Washington's first three batters (Mitchell Owen, Steven Smith and Rachin Ravindra) combined to score just 24 runs.
One of the most memorable finals of MLC 2026: This match will be remembered as one of the most thrilling finals in the history of Major League Cricket, due to the last ball and the margin of just 1 run.

Conclusion

The final of Major League Cricket 2026 was one of the best and most exciting matches of the tournament. Los Angeles Knight Riders showed great fighting spirit by winning by just 1 run. With the bat, Andre Fletcher, Colin Munro and Matthew Tromp provided a solid foundation for the team's collection, while with the ball, Sunil Narine and Jason Holder played a remarkable spell that ultimately decided the fate of the match.

On the other hand, for Washington Freedom, Abus Piener's explosive half-century was not enough to secure victory for the team. This final, which was full of tension until the last over, will long be remembered by cricket fans as one of the most memorable matches of Major League Cricket 2026.

FAQ

Who won the Major League Cricket 2026 final?
The Los Angeles Knight Riders won the title by defeating the Washington Freedom by 1 run in the final.

Where was the LAKR vs WAF final match held?
The match was held at the Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, USA.

How many runs did the Los Angeles Knight Riders score?
Batting first, Los Angeles Knight Riders were all out for 164 runs in 19.4 overs.

How many runs did the Washington Freedom score?
Chasing a target of 165 runs, Washington Freedom scored 163/9 in 20 overs and lost the match by just 1 run.

Who scored the highest number of runs for LAKR?
Andre Fletcher was the team's top scorer with 47 runs off 27 balls. Colin Munro also scored 40 and Matthew Tromp scored 39 runs.

Who scored the most runs for Washington Freedom?
Abus Pienaar played a blistering innings of 53 runs off 24 balls, which was the highest individual score for the Washington Freedom.

How many runs did Washington Freedom need in the last over?
Washington Freedom needed 8 runs to win in the last over. However, they managed to score 163/9 in the allotted 20 overs and missed out on the title by just 1 run.