The Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 season heads to a historic new venue as the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) take on Washington Freedom (WF) in Match 16 at the newly inaugurated Knight Riders Cricket Field in Pomona on Thursday. It will be the first professional cricket match hosted at the venue, adding extra significance to an already crucial clash. With both teams sitting on four points, this fixture could play a key role in shaping the race for the playoffs.

Both teams enter the contest after suffering defeats in their previous outings. Los Angeles Knight Riders enjoyed a bright start to their campaign with back-to-back victories but have since lost two consecutive matches, including a 20-run defeat to the Seattle Orcas. Veteran opener Colin Munro top-scored with 33, while Sunil Narine and Fabian Allen impressed with two wickets apiece, but their efforts were not enough to prevent the loss.

Washington Freedom have also endured an inconsistent tournament, winning two of their five matches while slipping to the bottom of the points table due to an inferior net run rate. Despite a fighting unbeaten 83 from Andries Gous and a quickfire 39 by Mitchell Owen, Freedom were comprehensively outplayed by the San Francisco Unicorns, who chased down 191 with eight wickets in hand.

LAKR vs WF: Match Details

• Date and Time: July 2, 7:00 AM IST / 1:30 AM GMT / July 1, 8:30 PM Local
• Venue: Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona

LAKR vs WF Head-to-Head Record

Matches Played: 4 | Los Angeles Knight Riders Won: 4 | Washington Freedom Won: 0

Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona Pitch Report

The Knight Riders Cricket Field will host its first-ever professional cricket match, meaning there is no previous MLC data available from the venue. The surface is expected to offer assistance to both seamers and spinners. Fast bowlers should enjoy some early swing with the new ball, while the pitch is also expected to provide sharp turn for the spinners as the match progresses.

Batting may not be straightforward initially, and teams will need to build their innings before accelerating. With clear weather forecast throughout the day and no threat of rain, fans can expect a full game.

Squads

Los Angeles Knight Riders: Jason Holder (c), Colin Munro, Andre Fletcher (wk), Unmukt Chand, Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell, Saif Badar, Andre Russell, Matthew Tromp, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Karthik Gattepalli, Carmi le Roux, Nitish Kumar, Alex Hales, Jahmar Hamilton, Kristopher Ramsaran, Lloyd Pope

Washington Freedom: Steven Smith (c), Mitchell Owen, Andries Gous (wk), Mark Chapman, Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Marco Jansen, Nikhil Chaudhary, Amila Aponso, Asif Mehmood, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Maxwell, Ian Holland, Ben Dwarshuis, Saurabh Netravalkar, Lahiru Milantha, Jack Edwards, Abhishek Paradkar, Yasir Mohammad

Also READ: Lhuan-dre Pretorius sizzles in San Francisco Unicorns’ emphatic win over Washington Freedom in MLC 2026

LAKR vs WF, Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• LAKR wins the toss and bowls first
• WF’s powerplay score: 50-55
• WF’s total score: 165-175

Case 2:

• WF wins the toss and bowls first
• LAKR’s powerplay score: 45-50
• LAKR’s total score: 160-170

Match Result: Team bowling first to win the contest.

Also READ: Dasun Shanaka stars with a blistering innings as Seattle Orcas crush Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC 2026