MLC 2026 Playoffs: Full Schedule, Teams and Squads Announced

The league stage of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 has concluded, with San Francisco Unicorns, Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York and Washington Freedom securing places in the playoffs. The knockout phase will be played at the Oakland Coliseum, where four matches will determine this season's champions. Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator are scheduled for July 16 (IST), followed by the Challenger on July 17 and the final on July 19.

San Francisco Unicorns finished at the top of the league table after registering a six-wicket victory over Seattle Orcas in their final league-stage fixture in Dallas. Chasing a target of 191, the Unicorns completed the chase with six balls to spare to confirm first place and seal their qualification for Qualifier 1. The result also confirmed the four playoff teams, with Seattle Orcas missing out on a place in the knockout stage.

Seattle Orcas recovered from 34 for 3 to post 190 for 7, thanks to a rapid 55 off 29 balls from Matthew Breetzke, while Marcus Stoinis contributed 49 and Shimron Hetmyer added 36. However, San Francisco's bowlers prevented a bigger total, with Xavier Bartlett taking two wickets and Peter Siddle, Matthew Short and Brody Couch claiming one wicket each. The Unicorns' batting unit then produced a composed chase to secure the crucial victory.

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Under the MLC playoff format, the top two teams receive a significant advantage by competing in Qualifier 1, where the losing side gets another opportunity to reach the final through the Challenger. The third and fourth-placed teams face each other in the Eliminator, with the losing team immediately eliminated from the tournament. The winner progresses to face the loser of Qualifier 1 for the remaining place in the championship match.

The playoff schedule, as per Indian Standard Time (IST), begins on July 16 with Qualifier 1 between San Francisco Unicorns and Los Angeles Knight Riders at 3:00 am, followed by the Eliminator featuring Washington Freedom and MI New York at 7:00 am. The Challenger will be played on July 17 at 7:00 am, while the MLC 2026 final is scheduled for July 19 at 7:00 am. All playoff matches will be held at the Oakland Coliseum.

Cricket fans in India can watch the MLC 2026 playoffs live on the Star Sports Network, while live streaming will be available through the JioHotstar app and website. With experienced international stars such as Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Trent Boult and Ravichandran Ashwin featuring in the remaining teams, the tournament is set for an exciting finish as the race for the MLC 2026 title enters its decisive stage.

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