Finn Allen dazzled on the inaugural night of MLC 2025 with a record-setting century as the San Francisco Unicorns commenced their season with a significant victory. In a rematch of last year’s championship, SFU successfully avenged their previous title defeat by overpowering Freedom by 123 runs, thanks to Allen’s explosive 151 runs off just 51 balls.
Throughout his remarkable innings, Allen established a new record for the fastest 150 runs in T20 cricket and also surpassed the previous record of 18 sixes held by Chris Gayle, hitting the ball over the boundary 19 times in a single T20 innings. His explosive performance kicked off right from the first over of the tournament, where he executed a clever lap shot to secure his initial six.
Finn Allen's historic T20 innings
Tim Seifert contributed with a brief appearance before being dismissed early, while Jake Fraser-McGurk had another disappointing performance in the middle. However, on either side, sixes were raining down as the New Zealand opener showcased his skills. Sanjay Krishnamurthi provided some entertainment when he struck Rachin Ravindra for four sixes in a single over, a remarkable achievement that the bowler would later replicate with the bat during the chase.
Allen then launched a hat-trick of sixes against Michell Owen and repeated the feat against his compatriot Glenn Phillips, racing to 86 runs off just 28 balls. He reached his century in 34 deliveries – a record in MLC – surpassing Nicholas Pooran’s previous record of a 40-ball century. At this juncture, seven overs remained in the innings, creating opportunities for further records to be broken. And indeed, they were, as Allen continued to clear the boundary. Upon hitting his record-equalling 18th six, SFU surpassed the highest total in MLC history. The score of 150 was achieved off just 49 balls when he struck his record-breaking six.
One more record belonging to Gayle – the highest individual score in T20 cricket – was at risk with three overs still left in the innings. However, a rare mis-hit resulted in him finding a fielder at long-on, bringing his spectacular innings to a close. Hassan Khan then provided his team with a strong finish, remaining unbeaten on 38, which meant Freedom needed to score 270 to secure a victory.
Washington Freedom gets all out
They undeniably appeared ready for a confrontation when Owen and Ravindra showcased their skills during the initial five overs, during which they amassed 79 runs. Both players aggressively attacked the bowling lineup, keeping SFU alert. Nevertheless, a remarkable catch by Fraser-McGurk, coupled with unnecessary confusion in the subsequent over, led to the dismissal of the established batters, and from that moment, the pursuit gradually diminished.
The score of 80/0 quickly transformed into 117/8 as Freedom capitulated despite their impressive beginning. Haris Rauf successfully trapped Glenn Maxwell leg-before-wicket and then bowled out Phillips in the same over, which proved effective for the bowling team. Hassan Khan then joined in, followed by Carmie le Roux, as Freedom experienced a rapid loss of two wickets per over at one stage. Their ordeal was ultimately concluded by Rauf, who secured his third wicket, resulting in the defending champions being bowled out with 41 balls still left in the chase.
SCORECARD: San Francisco Unicorns 269/5 in 20 overs (Finn Allen 151, Hassan Khan 38*; Jack Edwards 2/39) beat Washington Freedom 146 in 13.1 overs (Rachin Ravindra 42, Mitchell Owen 39; Haris Rauf 3/30) by 123 runs
