Los Angeles Knight Riders vs Washington Freedom: Complete MLC Match History, Head-to-Head & Records (2023–2026)
LA Knight Riders vs Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket: match timeline, key moments, top performers, records and what it means for MLC.
Latest Story
The Los Angeles Knight Riders vs Washington Freedom timeline turned on its head in July 2026: after Washington Freedom won the first five confirmed Major League Cricket meetings (2023–2026), the Los Angeles Knight Riders won the next two — including the MLC 2026 final by one run on 18 July 2026 — to claim their maiden MLC title. Washington still lead the head-to-head 5–2. This reverse-chronological guide covers each confirmed match, the venues, the standout performers and the two franchises’ stories — using only officially reported scorecards, with editorial analysis kept clearly separate from the numbers.
🧠 Match in 60 Seconds — AI Overview
In Major League Cricket, the Washington Freedom lead the Los Angeles Knight Riders 5–2 in confirmed head-to-head meetings (2023–2026). The Knight Riders won the two most recent meetings, including the MLC 2026 final on 18 July 2026 at Oakland Coliseum — a one-run thriller that gave LA their first MLC title. Washington, the 2024 MLC champions coached by Ricky Ponting and captained by Glenn Maxwell, still hold the overall edge. The highest individual score in the fixture is Glenn Maxwell’s unbeaten 106 off 49 balls for Washington at Oakland on 17 June 2025.
LAKR vs Washington Freedom: Key Questions
LAKR vs Washington Freedom — What to Know
- Washington Freedom lead 5–2 in confirmed MLC meetings, but the Los Angeles Knight Riders won the two that mattered most in 2026.
- Washington’s early wins were emphatic: 6 wickets (2023), 8 wickets (2024), 113 runs and 5 wickets (both 2025) and 6 wickets (2026) — then LAKR hit back with an 18-run win (9 Jul 2026) and a 1-run win in the MLC 2026 final (18 Jul 2026).
- Glenn Maxwell’s 106* off 49 balls for Washington at Oakland on 17 June 2025 is the highest individual score in the fixture; Andre Fletcher’s 104 for LA nine days later is the only other century.
- Sunil Narine’s 3/13 in the 2026 final is now the best bowling figures, ahead of Glenn Maxwell’s 3/15 (2024), Jack Edwards’ 3/15 (2025) and Saurabh Netravalkar’s 3/16 (2026).
- The Los Angeles Knight Riders won their maiden MLC title on 18 July 2026, beating Washington Freedom by one run at Oakland Coliseum; Narine was Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament.
- Washington Freedom remain the 2024 MLC champions, coached by Ricky Ponting and captained by Glenn Maxwell.
- The Los Angeles Knight Riders are owned by the Knight Riders Group (of Kolkata Knight Riders fame) and played their 2026 home games at Pomona, California.
- The fixture has been played across four venues: Morrisville (2023 and 2024), Dallas (2025 and 2026), Pomona (2026) and Oakland (2025 and the 2026 final).
- All figures here are from official scorecards; analysis and context are labelled separately from the data.
Head-to-Head Record & Summary
Every confirmed Major League Cricket meeting between the sides.
| Season | Winner | Margin | Venue | Player of the Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLC 2026 Final | Los Angeles Knight Riders | 1 run | Oakland Coliseum | Sunil Narine |
| MLC 2026 (24th Match) | Los Angeles Knight Riders | 18 runs | Grand Prairie, Dallas | Sunil Narine |
| MLC 2026 (16th Match) | Washington Freedom | 6 wickets | Pomona, California | Saurabh Netravalkar |
| MLC 2025 (17th Match) | Washington Freedom | 5 wickets | Grand Prairie, Dallas | Mitchell Owen |
| MLC 2025 (8th Match) | Washington Freedom | 113 runs | Oakland Coliseum | Glenn Maxwell |
| MLC 2024 | Washington Freedom | 8 wickets | Morrisville, N. Carolina | Glenn Maxwell |
| MLC 2023 | Washington Freedom | 6 wickets | Morrisville, N. Carolina | Andre Russell |
Batting record
Bowling record
Team record
Latest match
LAKR vs Washington Freedom Match Timeline (Reverse Chronological)
Latest match first. Scorecard figures are from official reports; turning points and tactics are editorial analysis.
Los Angeles Knight Riders won by 1 run — MLC 2026 Final
Venue: Oakland Coliseum — hosting the MLC 2026 playoffs and final.
Result & margin: Los Angeles Knight Riders 164 all out (19.4 overs); Washington Freedom 163/9 (20 overs). Los Angeles won by 1 run.
Top batter: Andre Fletcher 47, Colin Munro 40, Matthew Tromp 39 (LAKR); Obus Pienaar 53, Andries Gous 40 (WF). Top bowler: Sunil Narine 3/13 (LAKR). Player of the Match: Sunil Narine, also named Player of the Tournament.
Match summary: Narine struck three times in the powerplay and Jason Holder cut through Washington’s middle order, leaving the Freedom needing 14 off the final over. Shadley van Schalkwyk conceded a six to Obus Pienaar off the first ball, then yorked him next ball and had Ian Holland caught in the deep to seal it by a single run.
Turning point (analysis): Narine’s early strikes and Holder’s control through the middle overs kept Washington behind the rate all innings, so the final over — despite the opening six — came down to Van Schalkwyk’s nerve rather than a fresh chase.
Why it mattered: The win gave the Los Angeles Knight Riders their first Major League Cricket title, and a second straight win over Washington Freedom after five consecutive defeats in the fixture.
Los Angeles Knight Riders won by 18 runs
Venue: Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas — MLC’s flagship, high-scoring ground.
Result & margin: Los Angeles Knight Riders 192/8 (20 overs); Washington Freedom 174/8 (20 overs). Los Angeles won by 18 runs.
Top batter: Andre Fletcher 59 (40 balls), Matthew Tromp 50 (32 balls) for LAKR; Lahiru Milantha 40 (25) and Andries Gous 37 (24) for WF. Top bowler: Saurabh Netravalkar took 3 wickets for Washington; Sunil Narine (1/14) bowled a tight opening spell for LA. Player of the Match: Sunil Narine.
Match summary: Half-centuries from Fletcher and Tromp powered LA to 192/8, and although Netravalkar struck for Washington, Andre Russell’s all-round contribution and Narine’s economical new-ball burst held the chase 18 runs short.
Turning point (analysis): Narine’s tight opening overs (1/14 from four) denied Washington early momentum in the chase, a platform LA’s other bowlers built on through the middle overs.
Why it mattered: It was the Knight Riders’ first win over Washington Freedom in this fixture, snapping a run of five straight defeats and lifting LA to third in the 2026 table.
Washington Freedom won by 6 wickets
Venue: Knight Riders Cricket Ground, Fairplex, Pomona — the Los Angeles Knight Riders’ home base.
Result & margin: Los Angeles Knight Riders 108 all out (17.5 overs); Washington Freedom 110/4 (17.1 overs). Washington won by 6 wickets.
Top batter: Steve Smith 40 (WF). Top bowler: Saurabh Netravalkar 3/16 (WF). Player of the Match: Saurabh Netravalkar.
Match summary: Washington’s seamers dismantled the Knight Riders for a below-par 108, then Smith (40) and Mark Chapman (34) knocked off the target with overs to spare.
Turning point (analysis): Netravalkar (3/16) and Mitchell Owen (3/19) sharing six wickets to bowl LA out for 108 effectively decided the game inside the first innings.
Why it mattered: A fifth straight win over LA extended Washington’s dominance of the fixture and their strong start to the 2026 season.
Washington Freedom won by 5 wickets
Venue: Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas — MLC’s flagship, high-scoring ground.
Result & margin: Los Angeles Knight Riders 213/4 (20 overs); Washington Freedom 214/5 (20 overs). Washington won by 5 wickets in a last-over thriller.
Top batter: Andre Fletcher 104 (LAKR); Unmukt Chand 41. For WF, Mitchell Owen 43, Glenn Maxwell 42, Glenn Phillips 33 not out.
Top bowler: Ian Holland 2/25 (WF); Tanveer Sangha 2/35 (LAKR). Player of the Match: Mitchell Owen.
Match summary: Fletcher’s century powered LA to 213, but Washington’s deep, aggressive batting chased 214 down to the final over, Phillips finishing it unbeaten.
Turning point (analysis): The Owen–Maxwell middle-order acceleration kept Washington ahead of a steep asking rate before Phillips sealed it.
Why it mattered: A 213 wasn’t enough — proof of Washington’s fearsome chasing depth, and a painful near-miss for the Knight Riders.
Washington Freedom won by 113 runs
Venue: Oakland Coliseum — a converted baseball stadium used by MLC from 2025.
Result & margin: Washington Freedom 208/5 (20 overs); Los Angeles Knight Riders 95 all out. Washington won by 113 runs.
Top batter: Glenn Maxwell 106* (49 balls, 13 sixes) for WF; Saif Badar 32 for LAKR. Top bowler: Jack Edwards 3/15 and Mitchell Owen 3/18 (WF); Corné Dry 2/33 (LAKR). Player of the Match: Glenn Maxwell.
Match summary: Maxwell walked in with Washington 68/4 in the eighth over and hit an unbeaten 106 — the first MLC century by a number-six batter — to lift them to 208/5. Edwards and Owen then took three wickets each as LA were bowled out for 95.
Turning point (analysis): Maxwell’s counter-attack from 68/4 turned a below-par position into a total LA were never close to chasing.
Why it mattered: It remains the biggest margin and the highest individual score in the fixture, and lifted Washington to third in the early MLC 2025 table.
Washington Freedom won by 8 wickets
Venue: Church Street Park, Morrisville — a tighter, lower-scoring venue.
Result & margin: Los Angeles Knight Riders 129 all out; Washington Freedom 130/2. Washington won by 8 wickets with 24 balls to spare.
Top bowler: Glenn Maxwell 3/15 (WF). Player of the Match: Glenn Maxwell.
Match summary: Maxwell’s off-spin (3/15) helped skittle LA for 129, and Washington cruised home with more than four overs unused.
Turning point (analysis): Maxwell’s spell strangled the LA middle order, leaving a target Washington’s top three barely had to break sweat for.
Why it mattered: Part of Washington’s dominant 2024 campaign, which ended with the franchise lifting its first MLC title.
Washington Freedom won by 6 wickets
Venue: Church Street Park, Morrisville — one of the two venues of MLC’s inaugural season.
Result & margin: Los Angeles Knight Riders 175/7 (20 overs); Washington Freedom 177/4 (18.1 overs). Washington won by 6 wickets with 11 balls to spare.
Top batter: Andre Russell 70* (37 balls) and Rilee Rossouw 41 for LAKR; Matthew Short 43 and Andries Gous 40 (15 balls) for WF. Top bowler: Moises Henriques 3/26 (WF). Player of the Match: Andre Russell.
Match summary: Russell and Rossouw added 86 for the fifth wicket to lift LA to 175/7, but Short and Gous put on 68 in 5.2 overs for Washington’s first wicket, and captain Henriques and Obus Pienaar finished the chase unbeaten.
Turning point (analysis): The Short–Gous opening burst took the pressure off the chase before LA’s bowlers could settle.
Why it mattered: It was the first meeting of the two franchises, and the defeat — LA’s fourth straight in 2023 — knocked the Knight Riders out of playoff contention in MLC’s first season.
The Franchises & the League
Who these teams are, and the competition they play in.
Major League Cricket
The United States’ premier franchise T20 competition, launched in 2023, run by American Cricket Enterprises and sanctioned by USA Cricket. Champions: MI New York (2023), Washington Freedom (2024), MI New York (2025) and Los Angeles Knight Riders (2026). It is central to US cricket’s growth ahead of the sport’s return at the LA 2028 Olympics.
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Owned by the Knight Riders Group (the Red Chillies Entertainment and Mehta Group ownership behind Kolkata Knight Riders, with Shah Rukh Khan among principal owners). The LA side has featured stars such as Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Andre Fletcher, plays home games at the Knight Riders Cricket Ground, Fairplex, in Pomona, California, and won their maiden MLC title in 2026.
Washington Freedom
Owned by entrepreneur Sanjay Govil and coached by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, Washington Freedom won the MLC 2024 title and were runners-up in 2025 and 2026, losing the 2026 final to Los Angeles Knight Riders by one run. Captained by Glenn Maxwell, the squad has included Steve Smith, Saurabh Netravalkar, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Owen.
The Grounds
This fixture has been staged at Grand Prairie Stadium (Dallas) — MLC’s main, high-scoring venue — Church Street Park (Morrisville, North Carolina), the Knight Riders Cricket Ground at Fairplex in Pomona, California (LA’s home base from 2026) and Oakland Coliseum, which hosted the MLC 2026 final.
Key Players & Standout Performances
The names that have shaped the rivalry, based on official scorecards.
Top batter — Andre Fletcher (LAKR): His 104 on 26 June 2025 is one of only two centuries in the fixture; he also top-scored with 59 in LA’s first win over Washington on 9 July 2026 and 47 in the title-winning final.
Best all-rounder — Glenn Maxwell (WF): Washington’s captain has hurt LA with both bat and ball, including a Player-of-the-Match 3/15 in 2024, a fixture-record 106* off 49 balls at Oakland on 17 June 2025 and a rapid 42 in the 2025 chase at Grand Prairie.
Match-winning bowler — Saurabh Netravalkar (WF): The USA international’s 3/16 in 2026 dismantled LA for 108 and earned Player of the Match.
Fixture-defining bowler — Sunil Narine (LAKR): Narine turned the rivalry around in 2026, winning Player of the Match in both of LA’s wins — 1/14 in the 18-run win on 9 July and a fixture-best 3/13 in the 1-run final on 18 July, when he was also named Player of the Tournament.
Clutch finisher — Mitchell Owen & Glenn Phillips (WF): Owen’s 43 (and 3/19 in 2026) plus Phillips’ unbeaten 33 typified Washington’s fearless middle order in the 2025 run-chase.
Editorial note: Complete aggregate tallies (total runs and wickets across all meetings) are best taken directly from the official MLC scorecards; the performances above are the confirmed standouts, not a full statistical ranking.
Venue & Pitch Analysis
How the grounds have shaped these matches.
| Venue | Match | Scoring | Read (analysis) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Coliseum | 2026 Final | 164 vs 163/9 | Tight, low-scoring decider |
| Grand Prairie, Dallas | 2026 (24th) | 192/8 vs 174/8 | High-scoring; favoured LA’s batting |
| Grand Prairie, Dallas | 2025 | 213 vs 214 | High-scoring, true batting surface |
| Oakland Coliseum | 2025 (8th) | 208/5 vs 95 | One-sided; Maxwell 106* |
| Church Street Park, Morrisville | 2024 | 129 vs 130/2 | Tighter, more bowler-friendly |
| Church Street Park, Morrisville | 2023 | 175/7 vs 177/4 | Good batting surface; chase won |
| Pomona, California | 2026 (16th) | 108 vs 110/4 | Low-scoring; seam-friendly on the day |
Reading the trends (analysis): Grand Prairie remains the fixture’s run-fest, while Morrisville, Pomona and Oakland have rewarded disciplined bowling over big scoring. Washington won the first five meetings — four of them chasing, plus a 113-run win batting first at Oakland in 2025. Los Angeles broke the run in 2026, successfully defending totals in both of their wins. Toss and pitch-map specifics for each game are available on the official scorecards.
What the 2026 Season Means
Context for the standings and the title.
The Los Angeles Knight Riders answered their 1 July 2026 defeat in the most emphatic way possible: a win over Washington Freedom on 9 July 2026, followed by a one-run victory over the same opponents in the MLC 2026 final on 18 July, to claim their first Major League Cricket title. Washington Freedom, the 2024 champions, finished as 2026 runners-up after their fifth straight head-to-head win over LA in this fixture was followed by two defeats when it mattered most. For live standings and future-season fixtures, see the official MLC table.
Case Studies From the Rivalry
The defining moments, drawn from confirmed matches.
Title Decider — 2026 Final, Oakland
Los Angeles Knight Riders’ one-run win over Washington Freedom in the 18 July 2026 final is now the defining match of the rivalry: a tense, low-scoring decider that delivered LA their first MLC title and completed a two-match turnaround after five straight defeats to Washington.
Best Regular-Season Match — 2025, Dallas
The 2025 clash is comfortably the pick among regular-season games: 213 plays 214, a Fletcher century, and Washington getting home in the final over. A genuine high-scoring thriller.
Best Chase — Washington’s 214 (2025)
Running down 214 against a total built on a hundred, and doing it under last-over pressure, is the standout run-chase of the fixture.
Best Bowling Spell — Sunil Narine 3/13 (2026 Final)
Narine’s 3/13 in the title-deciding final is now the standout spell in the fixture, ahead of Glenn Maxwell’s 3/15 (2024), Jack Edwards’ 3/15 (2025) and Saurabh Netravalkar’s 3/16 (2026) — Narine’s, Maxwell’s and Netravalkar’s spells all earned Player of the Match.
Best Century — Glenn Maxwell 106* (2025)
Maxwell’s unbeaten 106 off 49 balls, with 13 sixes, took Washington from 68/4 to 208/5 at Oakland on 17 June 2025 and set up a 113-run win — the highest score and biggest margin in the fixture. Andre Fletcher’s 104 for LA nine days later is the only other hundred, though it came in a defeat.
Best Captaincy & Partnership (analysis)
Washington’s aggressive, chase-first approach under Glenn Maxwell defined the fixture’s first five meetings; the Owen–Maxwell middle-order alliance in 2025 is the stand that best captures it. Los Angeles countered in 2026 by defending totals rather than chasing them. Exact partnership figures are on the official scorecards.
Discover: Rivalry Facts & Records
- Turned around in 2026: Washington Freedom won the first five confirmed meetings, then Los Angeles Knight Riders won the last two, including the MLC 2026 final.
- Two centuries: Glenn Maxwell’s 106* (17 June 2025) is the highest score; Andre Fletcher’s 104 (26 June 2025) is the only other hundred.
- Best figures: Sunil Narine’s 3/13 in the 2026 final edges Glenn Maxwell’s 3/15 (2024), Jack Edwards’ 3/15 (2025) and Saurabh Netravalkar’s 3/16 (2026).
- Biggest win: Washington’s 113-run victory at Oakland in 2025; by wickets, their 8-wicket win in 2024.
- Champion pedigree: Los Angeles Knight Riders are the MLC 2026 champions; Washington Freedom were MLC 2024 champions and 2026 runners-up.
- Star quality: The fixture has featured Maxwell, Smith, Narine, Russell, Netravalkar, Fletcher and more.
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LAKR vs Washington Freedom FAQ
Answers to the most-searched questions about this MLC fixture.
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⚠️ Editorial Note, Sources & Accuracy
This article separates official match data (scores, margins, Player-of-the-Match awards and key figures, taken from official MLC and ESPNcricinfo scorecards) from statistical superlatives (highest score, best figures — drawn only from the seven confirmed meetings), editorial analysis (turning points, tactics and venue reads, clearly labelled) and historical context (franchise and league facts). No results or statistics are invented; where full ball-by-ball detail or complete aggregates were not confirmable, readers are directed to the official scorecards rather than shown estimates. Any future fixtures are not predicted. Content is editorial and compiled from publicly available sources.
Sources & further reading
Every dated entry above was checked against these references. Last reviewed 18 October 2026.