Ranjane and Spinners Script Resounding Win as TSK Crush Los Angeles KR in Dallas

By Shah Faisal


Texas Super Kings bounced back in style with a dominant all-round performance to defeat the Los Angeles Knight Riders by 52 runs  and climb to second on the MLC 2025 points table. This victory marked their fourth win in six games, while Los Angeles KR suffered their fourth defeat in five matches, slipping further as the tournament hit its halfway stage.

Toss and Teams

At Dallas under lights, the Los Angeles Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bowl first — a decision that showed early promise but ultimately came undone by a power-packed middle order and a disciplined bowling unit.

Playing XIs:

TSK: Smit Patel (wk), Faf du Plessis (capt), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Marcus Stoinis, Donovan Ferreira, Calvin Savage, Shubham Ranjane, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Nandre Burger, Zia-ul-Haq.

LAKR: Alex Hales, Unmukt Chand (wk), Sunil Narine, Nitish Kumar, Saif Badar, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder (capt), Andre Russell, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan

TSK Recover from Early Collapse to Post 196

The Super Kings stumbled to 33/3 inside 4 overs, courtesy of a fiery burst from Shadley van Schalkwyk, who removed both Marcus Stoinis for a golden duck and Faf du Plessis cheaply. TSK’s innings was wobbling until Smit Patel (38 off 33) and Shubham Ranjane stitched a calming 64-run stand to halt the collapse.

But the real momentum swing came from Donovan Ferreira, who, alongside Ranjane, unleashed a blitzkrieg worth 82 runs in just 40 balls. Ferreira launched Ali Khan and Russell for repeated boundaries, while Ranjane controlled the pace and punished anything short.

Their fireworks propelled Texas from 97/4 to 179/4 by the 18th over. Although both fell in the 19th, their work was done. Texas closed at 196/8, a total that looked slightly above par given the conditions.

Spin Stifles LAKR in Flat Chase

Los Angeles Knight Riders never got going in their chase. Akeal Hosein sent early jolts by castling Nitish Kumar for a golden duck and removing Alex Hales cheaply, reducing LAKR to 10/2.

Unmukt Chand (30 off 30) and Saif Badar tried to rebuild, but the mounting required rate and smart bowling choked momentum. Marcus Stoinis added pressure with a smart short delivery to dismiss Badar, while Donovan Ferreira capped his all-round performance by removing Chand.

As the pressure mounted, Noor Ahmad delivered the final blows. He bamboozled Sherfane Rutherford and bowled Andre Russell with a vicious wrong’un — a moment that effectively shut the door on LAKR.

Powell and Holder tried to salvage pride with brief cameos, but they never got close. LAKR crawled to 144/7, falling short by 52 runs.

Match-Changing Moment

The match turned decisively during the 15th over of TSK’s innings, when van Schalkwyk went for 23 runs, courtesy of sixes from both Ferreira and Ranjane. That over flipped the scoring rate and momentum. LAKR never recovered from the shift.

Player of the Match – Donovan Ferreira

A blistering 43 off 21 and a crucial wicket in the second innings earned Ferreira the Player of the Match award. He changed the game with both bat and ball and set the tone for a dominant team performance.

TSK Rise, LAKR Sink

This win propelled Texas Super Kings to No. 2 on the MLC points table with 4 wins in 6 matches, while LAKR slumped to 5th, with just one win in five. With the league phase halfway through, LAKR will need a dramatic turnaround to stay alive in the playoff race.