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Cognizant Major League Cricket 2026, Match 24: Washington Freedom vs Los Angeles Knight Riders

Cognizant Major League Cricket 2026, Match 24: Washington Freedom vs Los Angeles Knight Riders

Thu, Jul 9 CDT7:30 PM CDT

The high-octane franchise cricket caravan of Cognizant Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 officially wraps up its West Coast legs and returns to its spiritual heartland in Texas for a high-stakes second half. In Match 24, the star-studded Washington Freedom prepare for an absolute blockbuster rematch against the heavy-hitting Los Angeles Knight Riders under the floodlights of Grand Prairie.

For passionate cricket fans tuning in across North America, this prime-time cross-conference showdown will be broadcast live on Willow by Cricbuzz via TrillerTV.

The psychological plotlines for this fixture are loaded with fresh tension. These two teams squared off just days ago in Match 16 at the newly inaugurated Knight Riders Cricket Field in Pomona, California. That game turned into a total defensive masterclass for Washington; led by a clinical 3-wicket haul from Saurabh Netravalkar, the Freedom rolled LAKR over for a paltry 108 runs before captain Steve Smith anchored a comfortable 6-wicket chase with an unbeaten 40. Now, returning to the truer batting conditions of Dallas, Sunil Narine's Knight Riders are fiercely motivated to execute an immediate tactical reset and settle the score.

Washington Freedom: Aiming to Double Down on the Template
Coached by Ricky Ponting and captained by Australian icon Steve Smith, Washington Freedom rolls back into Texas eager to replicate their pristine multi-phase execution. The team's operational blueprint centers heavily around choking opposition scoring corridors early and batting with calculating, risk-managed intent.

The ultimate positive for the Freedom remains their highly disciplined domestic and international bowling matrix. In their recent triumph over LAKR, USA standout Saurabh Netravalkar (3/16) and young Australian seamer Mitchell Owen (3/19) completely dismantled the opposition's middle order, while Ben Dwarshuis provided elite new-ball control. Backed by a dynamic batting vanguard featuring Smith, Andries Gous, and explosive Kiwi asset Mark Chapman, Washington has the exact structural depth to lock down a crucial top-four playoff seed.

Los Angeles Knight Riders: Erasing the California Collapse
For Dwayne Bravo's LAKR lineup, the return to Grand Prairie represents a massive, highly necessary platform to rebuild structural accountability. Their batting framework suffered a complete system collapse in Pomona, unraveling from a stable 46/1 to 108 all-out against the moving ball.

To counter Washington's defensive traps, the opening synergy of Colin Munro and Andre Fletcher must display significantly greater technical patience before launching into their aerial strokes. The Knight Riders' middle-overs engine room, anchored by Rovman Powell and veteran Jason Holder, needs to find greater consistency against quality spin. Defensively, skipper Sunil Narine and multi-phase giant Andre Russell will lead a pace-heavy battery-complemented by the express air speed of Ali Khan-explicitly engineered to target early powerplay wickets.

Grand Prairie Stadium Pitch & Weather Report

Pitch Analysis
The natural turf square at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Texas is widely celebrated as one of the premium, truest white-ball batting strips in North America. Unlike the spin-friendly, two-paced surface encountered in California, the Dallas deck offers a highly reliable, consistent bounce and excellent carry through to the keeper, enabling stroke-makers to hit on the rise with absolute confidence from ball one. While new-ball seamers can find a trace of lateral tracking shape during the initial 3 overs, it rapidly settles into a batsman's paradise accompanied by a lightning-fast outfield. A baseline par first-innings score here hovers around 170–175 runs.

Weather Forecast
The meteorological tracker for Thursday evening in Greater Dallas projects immaculate playing conditions for cricket. The local Texas forecast indicates clear, bright skies with evening playing temperatures sitting around a comfortable 27°C (80°F). Wind speeds are expected to remain perfectly calm across the playing field, and with a near-zero percent probability of precipitation across the radar, fans can comfortably expect a full, uninterrupted 40-over block of franchise theater.

Confirmed Team Squad Lineups

Washington Freedom Squad:
Steve Smith (c), Glenn Maxwell, Obus Pienaar, Andries Gous, Amila Aponso, Mark Chapman, Mukhtar Ahmed, Ian Holland, Saurabh Netravalkar, Lockie Ferguson, Ben Dwarshuis, Lahiru Milantha, Asif Mehmood, Rachin Ravindra, Nikhil Chaudhary, Jack Edwards, Marco Jansen, Mitchell Owen, Abhishek Paradkar, Yasir Mohammad.

Los Angeles Knight Riders Squad:
Sunil Narine, Andre Fletcher, Nitish Kumar, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Jason Holder, Colin Munro (c), Unmukt Chand, Andre Russell, Jahmar Hamilton, Alex Hales, Kristopher Ramsaran, Fabian Allen, Rovman Powell, Carmi le Roux, Saif Badar, Ali Khan, Lloyd Pope, Karthik Gattepalli, Matthew Tromp.

Key Tactical Impact Battles to Watch

Colin Munro vs Saurabh Netravalkar
Munro was the lone shining light for LAKR during their recent collapse, striking a fighting 25 off 31 deliveries to anchor the top order. Netravalkar will look to counter him immediately, weaponizing precise, left-arm tracking inswing right inside the powerplay corridors to exploit any early technical vulnerability.

Steve Smith vs Sunil Narine
An absolute blockbuster middle-overs chess match between generational short-format masterminds. Smith was the absolute savior for Washington in the reverse fixture, single-handedly soaking up dot-ball pressure to anchor the chase with a pristine 40*. Narine's hidden release, variable speeds, and subtle drift make this specific window the defining tactical baseline of the entire match. More

Set Reminder Help

Channel: Willow by Cricbuzz
Languages: English
Venue: Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Grand Prairie, TX, United States
Categories: Cricket
Air Time: Thu, Jul 9 CDT 7:30 PM CDT

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