San Francisco Unicorns Face Setbacks Ahead of MLC 2025 Playoffs

The San Francisco Unicorns have suffered significant losses as they head into the MLC 2025 playoffs, with three key players now unavailable.

New Zealand’s T20I tri-series campaign in Zimbabwe has been dealt a blow with Finn Allen sidelined due to a foot injury.

The tri-series, which includes Zimbabwe, New Zealand, and South Africa, is scheduled to commence on July 14 in Harare.

Allen sustained the injury while playing for the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket (MLC). As a result, he will be absent from both the tri-series and the MLC playoffs.

The Unicorns are slated to compete against MI New York in the Eliminator on Wednesday; however, Allen will not participate.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) released a statement indicating that the timeline for Allen’s recovery will be determined upon his return to New Zealand, following evaluations with medical experts.

NZC is expected to announce Allen’s replacement for the tri-series squad soon. The San Francisco Unicorns have decided against naming a replacement in their MLC squad.

New Zealand’s squad is anticipated to arrive in Harare on Thursday, prior to their first T20I match against South Africa on July 16.

Allen’s last appearance was in the Unicorns’ final league match against the Los Angeles Knight Riders on July 6 in Lauderhill. He was dismissed for 4 runs in the opening over while the team was chasing a target of 244.

Despite this, Allen concludes the tournament as the Unicorns’ second-highest scorer, having accumulated 333 runs in nine matches. This includes a notable 151 in the opening game against Washington Freedom in Oakland.

Adding to the Unicorns’ challenges, West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd has returned to join the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the upcoming Global Super League.

Shepherd, who claimed eight wickets in five innings and made valuable batting contributions, will also not be replaced by the Unicorns.

The New Zealand team, led by Mitchell Santner, will begin their tri-series campaign against South Africa in Harare on July 16, shortly after the MLC final.

Following the T20I tri-series, New Zealand will remain in Zimbabwe for a two-match Test series in Bulawayo.

New Zealand Men’s T20I Squad:

Mitchell Santner (capt), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.

Tri-nation T20I series schedule: