By Dwayne Ferreira.
Rovman Powell hit five consecutive sixes before Andre Russell and Shadley van Schalkwyk bowled LA Knight Riders to an 81-run win over Seattle.
Rovman Powell struck five consecutive sixes during an 11-ball 37 before Los Angeles Knight Riders dismissed Seattle Orcas for 115 to complete an 81-run Major League Cricket victory at Grand Prairie Stadium. Andre Russell and Shadley van Schalkwyk claimed three wickets each as the Knight Riders recorded their second win from two matches and inflicted Seattle’s second defeat in three appearances.
Seattle won the toss and chose to bowl, but Colin Munro and Andre Fletcher provided Los Angeles with a steady opening platform. The pair added 58 before Ottneil Baartman dismissed Munro for 30 from 22 deliveries.
Fletcher continued to 40 from 27 balls, striking five fours and a six, while Unmukt Chand added a brisk 19. Seattle found regular wickets through the middle overs, with Los Angeles slipping from 85 for one to 136 for five.
The match then changed through Powell’s confrontation with Dasun Shanaka. After taking a single from his first delivery, Powell struck the next five legal balls for six. Shanaka’s over produced 31 runs from Powell alone and carried Los Angeles from a competitive position towards a total approaching 200.
Powell attempted a sixth consecutive six from the following delivery he faced but was caught by Baartman for 37. His innings contained five sixes and one four, with 31 of his runs coming from seven deliveries during a partnership with Jason Holder.
Holder contributed 23 from 14 balls, while Russell and Saif Badar added useful late runs. Seattle dismissed four batters during the final two overs and bowled Los Angeles out from the last ball, but the Knight Riders had reached 196.
Jasdeep Singh claimed three for 29 and Baartman took three for 36. Shanaka collected two wickets but conceded 59 from his four overs after bearing the full force of Powell’s assault.
Seattle’s pursuit never developed. Sunil Narine removed Tim Seifert for five and bowled Matthew Breetzke for 14, while Carmi le Roux dismissed Shayan Jahangir and captain Marcus Stoinis.
The Orcas ended the powerplay on 43 for four and then lost Shimron Hetmyer for 11. Shanaka attempted to counterattack with 14 from seven balls, but Van Schalkwyk dismissed him before removing Ali Sheikh.
Seattle were 67 for seven after 10.2 overs, leaving the result effectively settled. Harmeet Singh struck one four and two sixes in a 17-ball 25, adding 31 with Cameron Gannon, but the partnership merely delayed the conclusion.
Russell removed Gannon, Harmeet and Jasdeep in the space of 15 deliveries. Seattle were dismissed in 15.3 overs, with none of their top seven reaching 15.
Russell finished with three for eight from 1.3 overs, while Van Schalkwyk returned three for 17. Narine and Le Roux claimed two wickets each, with Narine conceding only 18 runs from his four overs.
Van Schalkwyk was named Player of the Match after taking the wickets that destroyed Seattle’s middle order. Powell supplied the most spectacular passage, but the collective bowling performance converted 196 into a margin that significantly strengthened Los Angeles’ early net run rate.
The Knight Riders moved to two victories from two matches, establishing themselves as the only unbeaten side among those to have completed two games at that stage. Seattle fell to one win and two defeats after failing to reproduce the batting that had powered their 217 chase against Washington.
For Los Angeles, the result demonstrated two different routes to victory in consecutive matches. Munro had anchored a tense chase against San Francisco, while Powell’s power and the attack’s depth produced a far more emphatic outcome against Seattle.
MATCH SUMMARY
LOS ANGELES KNIGHT RIDERS – 196 all out, 20 overs
Andre Fletcher 40, Rovman Powell 37, Colin Munro 30
Jasdeep Singh 3/29, Ottneil Baartman 3/36, Dasun Shanaka 2/59
SEATTLE ORCAS – 115 all out, 15.3 overs
Harmeet Singh 25, Matthew Breetzke 14, Dasun Shanaka 14
Andre Russell 3/8, Shadley van Schalkwyk 3/17, Sunil Narine 2/18
Result: Los Angeles Knight Riders won by 81 runs.
Player of the Match: Shadley van Schalkwyk.
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