Texas Super Kings or San Francisco Unicorns - who is the favorite to win the Challenger of MLC 2024?

[Credit: texassuperkings Instagram handle]

The second season of the Major League Cricket (MLC) is drawing to a close with the Texas Super Kings (TSK) and San Francisco Unicorns (SFU) facing each other in the Challenger for a place in the grand finale. The contest is set to be played in Dallas on July 26 with the winner taking on Washington Freedom (WAF) in the summit clash on July 28.

TSK have been led by the ever-reliable opening partnership of Faf du Plessis and Devon Conway with the bat and a solid all-round core with the ball. Meanwhile, SFU have relied on several timely contributions from their players with the lone standout - the Karachi-born Hassan Khan. The 25-year-old has lit up the tournament with 164 runs and 8 wickets in his 7 outings.

While a one-off win-or-go-home 20-over contest can be as unpredictable as any sporting event, looking at various factors for who goes into it as favorites between TSK and SFU could be worthwhile.

#1 Overall performance in MLC 2024

A look at the overall team performance in the ongoing season indicates SFU should be the unquestioned favorite over TSK heading into the virtual semi-final between the sides.

Led by former New Zealand and current USA all-rounder Corey Anderson, SFU flew under the radar among other more fancied sides to win five of their six completed games. They were also the only team to defeat table-toppers Washington Freedom in the round-robin stage.

Meanwhile, Texas Super Kings were slightly more inconsistent throughout the group stage, winning only three out of five completed outings. While they recovered strongly after a 12-run defeat to the Los Angeles Knight Riders in the tournament opener, TSK were well behind SFU in overall team performances pre-playoffs.

Advantage: SFU

#2 Head to Head

Despite the overall points table painting a picture at the end of the group stage, it is hard to ignore the number TSK did on SFU in the lone meeting between the sides.

SFU's lone defeat in the group stage came at the hands of TSK and more worryingly for them, by a crushing margin. After being asked to bat first, the SFU batters endured a torrid time to be bowled out for a paltry 127 in the 18th over. Further, worsening matters for SFU was how easily TSK completed the run-chase in a mere 12.5 overs with seven wickets in hand on the same pitch.

Extending to last year, TSK also defeated SFU in the teams' lone meeting by three wickets, leaving the head-to-head a commanding 2-0 in favor of the former between them.

SFU's saving grace - both defeats to TSK came at Morrisville, while the Challenger will be played at Dallas. Nevertheless, Texas Super Kings' psychological edge over SFU with the two wins and no losses could play a role in such a do-or-die encounter.

Advantage: Texas Super Kings

#3 Intangibles

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Knockout games in sports often come down more to intangibles than the numerically tangible analysis. Keywords like 'Experience' and 'Momentum' trump averages, wickets, strike rates, and economies in semi-final and final matches.

Speaking of experience, Texas Super Kings are filled with players who have tasted ultimate success in the biggest T20 League - IPL and triumphed in T20 World Cups. Skipper Faf du Plessis and fellow opener Devon Conway were the backbones of Chennai Super Kings' previous two IPL titles in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

Dwayne Bravo's list of T20 trophies from the World Cup to the IPL is endless and Marcus Stoinis was a clutch performer in Australia's lone T20 World Cup title in 2021.

SFU have arguably one of the greatest winners in the sport in Pat Cummins, yet, the rest of the side has talented players that remain unproven in the biggest stages in T20 cricket.

Furthermore, TSK crushed the defending champions MI New York in the Eliminator by nine wickets, proving their mettle in an elimination game. On the other hand, SFU, after missing the playoffs last year, found the Washington Freedom too hot to handle in the Qualifier to lose by seven wickets.

The winning momentum of Texas Super Kings and their proven big title-winning players give them a massive intangible edge over SFU.

Advantage: Texas Super Kings

In conclusion, it is safe to assume that the 2024 MLC challenger promises to be a humdinger to decide the second finalist. While SFU had enjoyed a more consistent overall season, TSK's momentum, veteran players, and domination over SFU in head-to-head battles make them the slight favorite to come out on top.

Favorite: Texas Super Kings