LAKR look towards Windies core ahead of MLC 2025 as they look to finally break their playoffs drought this season.
LAKR bank on West Indian muscle to break playoffs drought.
The Los Angeles Knight Riders are still the only team that has failed to qualify for the playoffs in two MLC seasons. Even though two of the most famous cricket players from the Knight Riders family, captain Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, have garnered a lot of attention, LAKR’s two prior seasons have been anything but stellar, finishing last in the first and barely escaping the bottom in the second.
Narine was a ghost of his former self with the bat, scoring 27 runs in 6 innings, despite having a 6.2 economy rate with the ball. His lacklustre performances at the top of the order were especially hurtful to the LAKR batting lineup. Russell was mostly underutilised during the competition. The Jamaican all-rounder, who came in at number seven, hardly had time to influence the match, playing 80 deliveries in 6 innings.
None of their batters were among the top 10 run scorers in the tournament, which is a fair picture of their batting difficulties. The sole bright spot in the batting lineup was Unmukt Chand, who shined with a handful of game-winning half-centuries. With a game-changing four-wicket haul against the Texas Super Kings, Ali Khan got off to a fast start in the tournament. However, as it went on, he lost his form and ended up with just one wicket to his record.
In addition to Narine and Russell, LAKR has added four more West Indians to their roster. The addition of Rovman Powell and Jason Holder, two former Windies captains, strengthens LAKR’s already strong all-around player pool. To strengthen their batting, Sherfane Rutherford and Andre Fletcher will make their MLC debuts with LAKR.
In lieu of Australian left-arm fast Spencer Johsnon, who was LAKR’s top wicket-taker the previous season, Anrich Nortje will lead the pace attack. Tanveer Sangha, a young leggie who warmed the bench for the Washington Freedom the previous season, was also signed by the Knight Riders.