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DALLAS: Shubham Ranjane’s composed 70 and Donovan Ferreira’s impactful all-round show helped Texas Super Kings return to winning ways with a 52-run win over Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 on Tuesday.
Opting to bowl first at Grand Prairie Stadium, LAKR made early inroads as Shadley van Schalkwyk ripped through Texas’ top order.
He struck twice in two balls to dismiss Saiteja Mukkamalla (9) and Marcus Stoinis (0), reducing the Super Kings to 33-3 inside four overs.
Smit Patel held firm at one end and stitched a 64-run stand with Ranjane to revive the innings.
Patel contributed a steady 38 off 33 before Andre Russell broke the partnership. Ranjane, however, carried on and found a dynamic partner in Donovan Ferreira.
The duo added a brisk 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket, with Ferreira doing most of the damage, smashing 43 off just 21 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes.
Both batters were dismissed in the 19th over, with Ranjane falling after a well-compiled 70 off 45 deliveries (6 fours, 4 sixes), and Ferreira run out.
Texas Super Kings lost momentum in the death overs and fell short of the 200-mark, finishing at 196-8.
Van Schalkwyk and Russell picked up three wickets apiece, while Ali Khan chipped in with one.
Chasing 197, LA Knight Riders faltered early as Akeal Hosein struck twice in his first over, removing Alex Hales (5) and Nitish Kumar (0) to leave the side reeling at 10-2.
Unmukt Chand (30) and Saif Badar (19) attempted to rebuild with a 45-run stand, but Marcus Stoinis broke the partnership, triggering a collapse.
Rovman Powell (21) and Jason Holder (26* off 15) tried to inject some life into the chase, but lacked support from the other end.
Texas bowlers maintained control throughout, with Hosein and Noor Ahmed bagging two wickets each. Zia-ul-Haq, Stoinis, and Ferreira took one apiece as LAKR were restricted to 144-7 in their 20 overs.
The convincing win lifted the Texas Super Kings to second place on the MLC 2025 points table, snapping a two-match losing streak.
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