LA Knight Riders beat Texas Super Kings (Photo Credits: Sportzpix)

Los Angeles Knight Riders entered the Major League Cricket 2026 Qualifier with a stunning six-wicket win over Texas Super Kings in the final league match of the season, securing second place on the points table with their third consecutive win.led by a restrained pursuit Colin Munro And Matthew Tromp helped LAKR chase down the 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.After floundering in the middle of the campaign, the Knight Riders have found form at the right time and have emerged as genuine title contenders with three consecutive wins.Texas, meanwhile, suffered a disappointing end to its campaign, suffering its fifth consecutive loss, finishing the season at the bottom of the standings.

Monroe, Trump anchor clinical chase

Chasing 172, LAKR made a positive start despite Andre Fletcher struggling for flow. While Fletcher managed to score 26 runs in 30 balls, Munro dominated the opening partnership with a quickfire 62 runs in 36 balls and the duo added 87 runs to set the right platform.Texas briefly clawed its way back with three quick wickets, including that of Monroe, which provided a glimmer of hope.However, Matthew Tromp once again demonstrated his growing maturity with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 58 off just 28 balls. Sherfane Powell provided valuable support to end the chase peacefully without any further drama before Jason Holder joined Tromp.Tromp, who was named the Most Valuable Player, credited the confidence instilled by coaches Shane Watson and Dwayne Bravo.“I went out there to play my natural game and it’s paying off,” Trump said. “We still have a long way to go. We’ve got two big playoff games. Hopefully, we can win the first one, then win the final and lift the trophy.”

Ranjane’s half-century is not enough for Super Kings

Earlier, after Jason Holder decided to bowl first, Shubham Ranjane put up a lone fight by scoring an unbeaten 51 off 34 balls.Although Faf du PlessisRiley Rossouw and Dianne Forrester all got off to fast starts, with no one converting it into a big score as Texas repeatedly lost wickets at crucial moments. Holder restricted Super Kings to 171 runs by taking 3 wickets for 33 runs.Reflecting on the defeat, Du Plessis admitted that his team fell well short of a competitive score.“On this wicket, you needed to score more than 180 to really feel ahead in the game. I thought we probably fell 20-30 runs short,” the captain said.Du Plessis also pointed to missed opportunities on the field and the team’s inability to capitalize on key moments throughout the tournament.“There was a lot of consistency in the way we played, but we kept missing those key moments at key moments. There were three or four occasions when we absolutely tied the game, and unfortunately, it went the other way,” he said.With the momentum firmly in their favor and the key batsmen peaking at the right time, the Knight Riders now enter the playoffs full of confidence as they chase their maiden MLC title against the high-flying Unicorns.