Jones and Hetmyer drop LAKR bottom as Orcas win again that has seen them jump to fourth place in the table.
Jones and Hetmyer give Orcas second win, push Knight Riders to the bottom.
Shimron Hetmyer gained control of the Seattle Orcas innings at a crucial point and hammered his way to victory for the second consecutive game in MLC 2025.
About twenty-four hours earlier, he did it off the final ball versus MI New York, even though he was cramping. When he performed it again, he showed no symptoms of difficulty. This time, it was against the Los Angeles Knight Riders, who were ahead at various points during the match but lost in the end.
Aaron Jones had set the base for Hetmyer.
Jones and Shayan Jahangir combined for 119 for the second wicket after Jason Holder had dismissed Josh Brown for a two-ball duck in the opening over. Jahangir’s contribution was 42 from 29 balls, while Jones scored 73 in 38, a strike rate close to 200.
However, if the Orcas needed to win two straight after dropping their first five games of the season, the innings required more. That came from Hetmyer, who left the game at No. 5 with just under eight overs remaining and 77 needed.
In the fourteenth over, Ali Khan hit two fours. Then, in the fifteenth over, Tanveer Sangha was hit for two sixes, and 48 from thirty balls appeared to be easily achievable for Orcas. Hetmyer took two more sixes off Holder in the 17th and another off Ali Khan in the 18th. There was a brief hiccup when Andre Russell, who had earlier hammered 65 not out from 39 balls, delivered a five-run over.
Hetmyer still had some work to do when Russell bowled an eight-run 19th over. And it was all over when Shadley van Schalkwyk’s fifth ball in the final over went right down the ground.
Knight Riders have now replaced Orcas, who were at the bottom of the six-team table, and are now at No. 4.