Washington Freedom (WF) will take on Seattle Orcas (SO) in Match 9 of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland. The two teams have already met once this season, with Seattle securing a memorable five-wicket victory, making this clash an opportunity for Freedom to settle the score.
Washington entered the game with renewed confidence after registering a commanding 30-run win over MI New York in their previous outing. Mitchell Owen stole the spotlight with a sensational 155-run knock, helping Steve Smith’s side post the highest total of the season so far. While the batting unit appears to be in excellent touch, Freedom will be looking for more consistency from their bowling attack.
Seattle Orcas, meanwhile, have endured a mixed start to the campaign. Despite defeating Washington earlier in the tournament, they suffered a crushing 81-run loss against Los Angeles Knight Riders in their last match. Marcus Stoinis and his men will need a stronger all-round performance if they are to climb from the bottom of the standings and revive their campaign.
WF vs SO, MLC 2026: Match Details
- Date and Time: June 26, 7:00 AM IST / 1:30 AM GMT / June 25, 8:30 PM Local
- Venue: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland
WF vs SO, Head-to-Head Record in MLC
Matches played: 4 | WF won: 3 | SO won: 1
Oakland Coliseum Pitch Report
The Oakland Coliseum has offered a balanced surface during MLC 2026, although batters have generally enjoyed the conditions once they get settled. The drop-in wicket provides good pace and bounce, allowing stroke-makers to play through the line with confidence.
The relatively short boundaries make six-hitting a major weapon, and teams have not hesitated to attack from the outset. Fast bowlers could find some assistance with the new ball, particularly during the opening overs, while uneven bounce has occasionally troubled batters.
Recent matches suggest that chasing teams have enjoyed better success at the venue. As a result, captains winning the toss are likely to bowl first and take advantage of any early movement before pursuing a target under favorable batting conditions.
Squads
Washington Freedom: Steve Smith (c), Mark Chapman, Mukhtar Ahmed, Lahiru Milantha (wk), Andries Gous (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Ben Dwarshuis, Amila Aponso, Saurabh Netravalkar, Asif Mehmood, Abhishek Paradkar, Yasir Mohammad, Glenn Maxwell, Rachin Ravindra, Obus Pienaar, Ian Holland, Marco Jansen, Nikhil Chaudhary, Jack Edwards, Mitchell Owen
Seattle Orcas: Marcus Stoinis (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Tim Seifert (wk), Matthew Breetzke, Tim Robinson, Dasun Shanaka, Shehan Jayasuriya, Shayan Jahangir, Rahul Jariwala (wk), Harmeet Singh, Tanveer Sangha, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman, Cameron Gannon, Jasdeep Singh, Ayan Desai, Sujit Nayak, Sharad Lumba, Ali Sheikh
WF vs SO, MLC 2026: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- WF wins the toss and bowls first
- SO’s powerplay score: 50-60
- SO’s total score: 180-190
Case 2:
- SO wins the toss and bowls first
- WF’s powerplay score: 60-70
- WF’s total score: 190-200
Match result: Team bowling first to win the contest.
