LAUDERHILL, Fla. — The Seattle Orcas are on the brink of elimination from the 2025 Major League Cricket playoffs after falling to the Texas Super Kings by 51 runs in a must-win match on July 5.

On a sluggish pitch, Texas batters — especially captain Faf du Plessis and Shubham Ranjane — dominated, putting together a crucial 130-plus run partnership that powered the Super Kings to a formidable 188 for 4. Seattle’s bowlers struggled with consistency, serving up full tosses and loose deliveries that were punished in a venue where runs have otherwise been hard to come by.

While the bowling effort lacked bite, there were two standout moments in the field. Shimron Hetmyer took a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch to dismiss Smit Patel, and Sikandar Raza followed with a sharp direct hit from cover to run out Saiteja Mukkamalla. At 49 for 2, those efforts briefly lifted the Seattle Orcas — but du Plessis and Ranjane soon took over. Late breakthroughs, including Faf’s retiring out and Cameron Gannon’s slower ball to dismiss Donovan Ferreira, came too late to prevent a big total.

In response, the Orcas never built momentum. Wickets fell regularly, and no batter was able to play the kind of anchoring innings that du Plessis had earlier. Kyle Mayers top-scored with 35, while Hetmyer and Raza got starts but couldn’t convert. The Super Kings’ bowlers — led by Adam Milne, who claimed 5 for 23 — exploited the two-paced surface far more effectively than Seattle’s attack had earlier.

With the loss, Seattle missed the chance to reclaim a top-four spot in the standings, having been overtaken earlier in the day by MI New York. Given the significant net run rate (NRR) gap, the Seattle Orcas now need a highly improbable outcome: a massive defeat for MI New York in their final league match against Washington Freedom.

Match Summary:

Texas Super Kings def. Seattle Orcas by 51 runs

Texas Super Kings: 188/4 in 20 overs

- Faf du Plessis 91

- Cameron Gannon 1-36

Seattle Orcas: 137 all out in 18.4 overs

- Kyle Mayers 35

- Adam Milne 5-23