Guided by Glenn Maxwell’s explosive century and Mitch Owen’s comprehensive performance, Washington Freedom dealt Los Angeles Knight Riders their third consecutive loss in MLC 2025. On Tuesday evening, they were defeated by 113 runs as Freedom achieved their second victory.
Glenn Maxwell's explosive century for WF
After being put in to bat, Owen launched an aggressive innings, scoring 32 runs off just 11 balls, dismissing Corne Dry, Shadley van Schalkwyk, and Jason Holder along the way. Despite Freedom losing three wickets within the initial four overs, they managed to accumulate 53 runs. However, as wickets continued to fall at consistent intervals, the scoring rate subsequently decreased, and by the conclusion of the 13th over, the defending champions found themselves at 98 for 5.
Nevertheless, this was the moment when the out-of-form Maxwell began to excel. The captain hit three consecutive sixes off Jason Sangha, establishing a foundation for a late surge. A few overs later, he struck Narine for another six, marking the achievement of his half-century. The onslaught of sixes persisted, with Dry, Holder, and Andre Russell also suffering from his aggressive batting, which featured 13 sixes and only two fours, as he concluded his innings unbeaten on 106, leading his team to a formidable total of 208 for 5.
Obus Pienaar, who played a supporting role in the unbeaten 116-run partnership for the sixth wicket, contributed a modest 14 runs off 15 balls.
LAKR's losing streak continues
In response, LAKR found themselves on the defensive early on, with none of the top three players managing to score. In fact, only two of the top eight batters achieved double-digit scores. While Saurabh Netrawalkar and Mark Adair inflicted early damage, Mitch Owen and Jack Edwards quickly added to the score as LAKR was reduced to 26 for 5 midway through the eighth over.
Sai Badar and Holder formed a 35-run partnership for the sixth wicket, rescuing the team from a precarious situation, but they never reached a point where a victory seemed possible. Once Badar was dismissed leg before wicket by Owen, another collapse ensued. Dry and van Schalkwyk offered some resistance, but it was merely a formality before they were all out for 95 in the 17th over.
SCORECARD: Washington Freedom 208/5 in 20 overs (Glenn Maxwell 106, Mitch Owen 32; Corne Dry 2-33, Tanveer Sangha 2-38) beat Los Angeles Knight Riders 95 in 16.3 overs (Saif Badar 32, Jason Holder 23; Jack Edwards 3-15, Mitch Owen 3-16) by 113 runs
