Orcas fire Mott as Heinrich Klaasen quits captaincy, with Sikandar Raza set to take charge of the side as skipper
Orcas fire Mott as Klaasen quits as Seattle Orcas captain.
The second half of MLC 2025 has seen significant leadership changes for the Seattle Orcas, as head coach Matthew Mott was fired and captain Heinrich Klaasen resigned. Following losses in each of their opening five games of the current season, which had sent them to the bottom of the standings, the actions were taken. Klaasen made the choice “to focus fully on his responsibilities as a batter,” according to a statement from MLC. The following games will be captained by Sikandar Raza.
Shortly before the start of their sixth league game, which the Orcas won on the final ball against MI New York in Dallas, the release was made on June 27. The team attributed Mott’s departure to “differences in coaching and management strategies” and confirmed what it described as “strategic mid-season leadership changes.”
“This is a moment of reflection and renewal for the Seattle Orcas,” Hemant Dua, Orcas chief executive, said in a statement. “This has been a tough run for the team, and with it, some difficult decisions had to be made. We are grateful to Matthew for his commitment and professionalism during his time with us, and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
Before the current season, Mott had assumed leadership. As of yet, no one has been named to replace him. Ian Bell and Munaf Patel are the team’s batting and bowling coaches, respectively, and Rishi Bhardwaj is their assistant coach.
Orcas have scored 149 for 5, 200 for 5, and 177 for 6 batting first in what has been a high-scoring event. In their two chases, they have also collapsed for 60 and 144. In his five innings, Klaasen has amassed 55 runs at a strike rate of 144.73, making him one of their underwhelming batting performers. Raza has struggled with the bat as well, despite Orcas citing his “extensive international experience and cricketing intelligence” as reasons for being the “unanimous choice” to captain the squad.
“We respect Heinrich’s decision to step down voluntarily as captain to focus on his batting,” Dua said. “This reflects his character and team-first mindset. Sikandar was our unanimous choice once we heard from Klaasen about his decision. We believe these changes set the stage for a strong second half of the season.”