Captain: Steve Smith
Coach: Ricky Ponting
How far did they go last season: Knockouts
Washington Freedom fell to the Seattle Orcas in their first-ever game at the MLC.
However, the franchise quickly recovered from this initial setback, embarking on a three-game winning streak thanks to standout performances from Aussie import Matthew Short and locals Saurabh Netravalkar and Adries Gous.
While the T20 World Cup may have made Netravalkar a household name, it was his remarkable spell (6 for 9) against the San Francisco Unicorns that first put him in the spotlight.
Freedom’s resilient run was halted by MI New York in the final game of the league.
The eventual champions managed to stage a rematch in the eliminator, knocking out Freedom after being on the back foot in the first innings.
Despite the absence of some marquee T20 players, the fledgling franchise exceeded expectations by qualifying for the final four, surpassing American offshoots of legacy IPL franchises.
International Contingent
Freedom employed several excellent utility T20 international cricketers in their mix with captain Moises Henriques, Matthew Short, and Glenn Phillips in the inaugural season.
In a complete revamp, the franchise sought some high-profile cricketers following the high-profile signing of Ricky Ponting as the head coach.
Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and Travis Head bring stardust to the Freedom batting, along with young Kiwi sensation Rachin Ravindra.
Freedom further strengthened their pace attack by adding T20 specialists Lockie Ferguson and Andrew Tye.
Akeal Hosein and Marco Jansen are the only internationals returning to the Freedom fold for the second season.
Domestic Cadre
Netravalkar and Gous emerged as breakout stars for the USA in their historic World Cup campaign, reaching the Super 8s.
While Gous impressed with a couple of destructive innings, Netravalkar outshined his international peers by topping the wickets and economy rate tally.
Hard-hitting batter and left-arm spinner Obus Pienaar has been retained after impactful cameos last season.
Freedom also retained faith in former Pakistan batter Mukhtar Ahmed despite his poor returns of 13 runs per game at the top of the order in 2023.
Freedom drafted in American-born Hampshire all-rounder Ian Holland, who last represented the USA in 2022.
They also secured the services of former Sri Lanka spinner Amila Aponso and pugnacious wicketkeeper-batter Lahiru Milantha.
Twenty-one-year-old Yasir Mohammad, one of the USA reserves at the World Cup, remains the only wrist-spinning option in the squad.
Probable XI :
| Player Name |
|---|
| Andries Gous |
| Steve Smith |
| Travis Head |
| Rachin Ravindra |
| Glenn Maxwell |
| Obus Pienaar |
| Marco Jansen |
| Lockie Ferguson |
| Saurabh Netravalkar |
| Amila Aponso |
| Yasir Mohammad |
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