Ravichandran Ashwin made his long-awaited San Francisco Unicorns debut as the franchise beat Texas Super Kings by seven wickets in Major League Cricket. The 39-year-old India off-spinner featured in Dallas on Saturday, 20 June, after missing the Unicorns’ season opener while working back from a knee issue.
Ashwin’s first MLC appearance carried wider significance because he became the first capped India men’s international to play in the competition. The debut itself was not straightforward: introduced early, he went wicketless and conceded 24 runs from two overs, with Milind Kumar and Rilee Rossouw preventing him from settling into control.
Ashwin debut still gives Unicorns a landmark night
The result softened the individual numbers. Texas were restricted to 152 for nine, with Peter Siddle taking three wickets and Matthew Short adding two more before San Francisco completed the chase with 13 balls to spare.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ unbeaten 69 gave the Unicorns their first win of the 2026 campaign, but Ashwin’s inclusion was the sharper headline for the league. His move into MLC has already been framed as a milestone for American franchise cricket, and his first outing now gives San Francisco a platform to manage his overs carefully as he rebuilds match rhythm.
The details of Ashwin’s figures and San Francisco’s seven-wicket win were reported in a fresh Times of India update on his MLC debut.
