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Incessant rain played spoilsport in what was expected to be a close contest between Major League Cricket's (MLC) top two teams. Not a single ball was bowled in Qualifier 1 after Washington Freedom captain Glenn Maxwell won the toss and opted to bowl first. Since Washington Freedom finished at the top of the points table, they progressed to the final.
Faf du Plessis' Texas Super Kings will now face the winner of MLC 2025 Eliminator between Matthew Short's San Francisco Unicorns and Nicholas Pooran-led MI New York. The Qualifier 2/Challenger will be played on July 11.
Maxwell made a single change to the side, replacing Mark Chapman with Lockie Ferguson.
"We are going to bowl. Fresh wicket, under covers for a bit so it's an opportunity to get early wickets. Hopefully we can start well and go from there. Lockie back for this game. Hopefully a low score (smiles). I would like our bowlers to stick to the plans and restrict them. Mark Chapman misses out," Maxwell said after winning the toss.
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Du Plessis backed his team to post a winning total even if they lose wickets in powerplays or get off to a slow start. He did not tinker with the winning combination.
"Lose the toss and bat first. Good wicket, try to assess and put up a good score. We are confident. Few different guys have stepped up and we are ready for today. Even though we were 30/3 in the powerplay the guys in the middle got us a winning total. Same team," he said.
Playing XIs for MLC 2025 Qualifier
Washington Freedom Playing XI: Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra, Andries Gous(w), Glenn Phillips, Glenn Maxwell(c), Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Jack Edwards, Ian Holland, Lockie Ferguson, Saurabh Netravalkar.
Texas Super Kings Playing XI: Smit Patel(w), Faf du Plessis(c), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Marcus Stoinis, Shubham Ranjane, Donovan Ferreira, Calvin Savage, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Zia-ul-Haq, Adam Milne.
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