The Los Angeles Knight Riders topped the Major League Cricket 2026 Qualifier with a commanding six-wicket win over the Texas Super Kings in the final league match of the season, sealing second place on the points table with a third consecutive victory.An organized pursuit led by: Colin Munro and Matthew Tromp helped LAKR overhaul a target of 172 with five balls to spare, setting up a blockbuster Qualifier against table-topping San Francisco Unicorns on July 15. Washington Freedom and MI New York will meet in the Eliminator on the same day.Stumbling midway through the campaign, the Knight Riders found form at the right time, stringing together three straight wins to emerge as genuine title contenders.Texas, meanwhile, endured a disappointing end to their campaign, suffering a fifth straight loss to end the season at the bottom of the standings.
Munro, Tromp anchor clinical chase
Chasing 172, LAKR made a positive start even as Andre Fletcher struggled for fluency. While Fletcher made 26 off 30 balls, Munro dominated the opening partnership with a powerful 62 off 36 deliveries as the duo added 87 runs to lay the perfect platform.Texas briefly bounced back by taking three quick wickets, including Munro’s, which provided a glimmer of hope.However, Matthew Tromp again showed his growing maturity with the bat, producing an unbeaten 58 off 28 balls. Sherfane Powell provided valuable support before Jason Holder joined Tromp to calmly end the chase without any late drama.Tromp, who was named Most Valuable Player, praised the confidence instilled by coaches Shane Watson and Dwayne Bravo.“I just went out there to play my natural game, and it paid off,” Tromp said. “We still have a long way to go. We have two big playoff games. Hopefully we can win the first one, then the final, and lift the trophy.”
Ranjane’s fifty was not enough for the Super Kings
Earlier, Shubham Ranjane battled to an unbeaten 51 off 34 balls after Jason Holder opted to bowl first.However: Faf du PlessisRilee Rossouw and Dian Forrester both made strong starts, neither of which converted them into enough scores as Texas repeatedly lost wickets at crucial moments. Holder finished with impressive figures of 3 for 33, restricting the Super Kings to 171.Reflecting on the defeat, du Plessis admitted his team fell well short of a competitive total.“On this wicket, you need 180-plus to really feel ahead of the game. I thought we were probably 20-30 runs short,” the captain said.Du Plessis also pointed out the missed opportunities on the field and the team’s inability to grab the crucial chances throughout the tournament.“We were very consistent in the way we played, but in important moments we kept missing key moments. There were three or four moments where we took the game down to the wire, and unfortunately, it went the other way,” he added.With strong momentum on their side and key batters coming forward at the right time, the Knight Riders now head into the playoffs brimming with confidence as they chase their first MLC title against the high-flying Unicorns.