The stage is set for a thrilling climax to the 2026 Major League Cricket season as Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) take on Washington Freedom (WAF) in the final at the Oakland Coliseum.
This marks the first time the title decider is being hosted at this venue, shifting away from Dallas. This is also the first time in the final for LAKR who had a stellar season.
MLC 2026 Final Match Details
Teams: Los Angeles Knight Riders vs Washington Freedom
Format: T20
Venue: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland
Date & Time: July 19, 2026 | 4:30 PM Local / 11:30 PM GMT / 5:00 AM IST (approx.)
Small boundaries make batting enjoyable, but bowlers can find some assistance with cutters. However, the dimensions leave little margin for error - mistakes are often punished heavily. Defending totals is tough,
especially with dew likely playing a factor later. Captains generally prefer to chase or bowl first. A score of at least 220 is often needed to feel safe when batting first.
Key Stats at Venue/Context
- Freedom (batting first avg): ~222
- Freedom (bowling first conceded avg): ~182
- Knight Riders (batting first avg): ~172
- Knight Riders (bowling first conceded avg): ~158
Road to the Final
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Started strongly with two wins but hit a rough patch, losing the next three. They recovered brilliantly, winning 4 of their last 5 (including a hat-trick of victories) to reach the playoffs. In the Qualifier, they stunned the table-topping Unicorns with a composed chase and smart death bowling, executing wide yorkers perfectly. This is their first MLC final - a massive opportunity to claim their maiden title.
Washington Freedom
Like LAKR, they were inconsistent early but surged late, winning 4 of their last 5 to finish third. They survived a high-scoring Eliminator against MINY (chasing a record 266, powered by Steve Smith and Andries Gous hundreds) and then dominated the Challenger. Coached by Ricky Ponting, they are appearing in their third straight final and boast immense big-match experience.
Squads
Los Angeles Knight Riders
Colin Munro, Andre Fletcher, Andre Russell, Matthew Tromp, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder (c), Saif Badar, Jahmar Hamilton (w), Sunil Narine, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Carmi le Roux, Ali Khan, Nitish Kumar, Alex Hales, Unmukt Chand, Fabian Allen, Kristopher Ramsaran, Lloyd Pope, Karthik Gattepalli
Washington Freedom
Mitchell Owen, Steven Smith (c), Rachin Ravindra, Andries Gous (w), Glenn Maxwell, Nikhil Chaudhary, Ben Dwarshuis, Obus Pienaar, Ian Holland, Asif Mehmood, Saurabh Netravalkar, Mukhtar Ahmed, Lockie Ferguson, Amila Aponso, Mark Chapman, Lahiru Milantha, Jack Edwards, Marco Jansen, Abhishek Paradkar, Yasir Mohammad
MLC 2026 Final Live Streaming and Telecast Details
India: The MLC 2026 Final between LAKR and WAF will be broadcast live on Star Sports TV and streamed on JioHotstar at 5:00 AM IST on July 20.
Pakistan: The MLC 2026 Final will be available live on the MLC Network YouTube channel at 4:30 AM PKT on July 20.
Bangladesh: The MLC 2026 Final will be available live on the MLC Network YouTube channel at 5:30 AM BST on July 20.
Afghanistan: The MLC 2026 Final will be available live on the MLC Network YouTube channel at 5:00 AM AFT on July 20.
UK & Ireland: The MLC 2026 Final will be broadcast live on Sky Sports at 11:30 PM BST on July 19.
Australia: The MLC 2026 Final will be streamed live on 7Plus at 9:30 AM AEDT on July 20.
New Zealand: The MLC 2026 Final will be broadcast live on SKY NZ at 11:30 AM NZST on July 20.
Central Europe: The MLC 2026 Final will be available live on Cricbuzz TV at 12:30 AM CEST on July 20.
Middle East & North Africa (MENA): The MLC 2026 Final will be available live on Cricbuzz TV at 3:30 AM GST (UAE) on July 20.
South America, Latin America & Mexico: The MLC 2026 Final will be streamed live on Willow TV YouTube.
Southeast Asia: The MLC 2026 Final will be available live on Cricbuzz TV.
Sub-Saharan Africa: The MLC 2026 Final will be broadcast live on ESPN and the MLC Network YouTube channel.
