Lhuan-dre Pretorius in action (Source: @RajpalShiv46534/X)
Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Finn Allen took Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 by storm on Monday while playing for San Francisco Unicorns at Oakland Coliseum, California. And the bowlers from Washington Freedom were at the receiving end of it, a record feat which they would not like to be part of.
Coming to chase a challenging target of 191, Pretorius and Allen showed no mercy to Washington Freedom bowlers, led by Marco Jansen. Even though Allen fell after smashing 45 off just 18 deliveries just before the end of the Powerplay, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, coupled with Matthew Short, took them to 104 at the end of six overs.
With that, they extended the record of smashing the highest Powerplay score in MLC history. Earlier, Seattle Orcas held the record, having made 86/3 against MI New York last year in Dallas.
New Record Kings In MLC
Just 20 years old, Lhuan-dre Pretorius was part of the Rajasthan Royals squad in IPL 2026. He came into attention during SA20 while playing exceptionally for the Royals’ sister franchise – Paarl Royals.
Apart from that, Pretorius represented Hampshire in the T20 Blast in England last year.
Allen, on the other hand, was one of the hottest prospects during the latter half of IPL 2026. Fresh after explosive batting in the T20 World Cup 2026 for New Zealand, he kept on damaging the bowlers while opening for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
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The duo complement each other nicely, helping San Francisco Unicorns to enjoy sitting at the top of the MLC points table. After five matches, they have three wins, with the net run rate (NRR) reading +0.489.
A Season To Remember For Lhuan-dre Pretorius
With four 50s or more scores in five outings, Lhuan-dre Pretorius is having a dream run in MLC 2026 with the bat in hand. He is currently the second-highest run getter in the ongoing edition, having smashed 297 runs at an explosive strike rate of 182.21.
Mitchell Owen tops the chart, thanks to his fiery 155 earlier in the edition.
Pretorius got two opportunities in IPL 2026 and one in IPL 2025. Unfortunately, he failed to capitalise on any of those occasions.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Finn Allen To Return To Action Soon
San Francisco Unicorns will be in action once again against Washington Freedom on Saturday, July 4. The Freedom, under the leadership of Steve Smith, are not having the greatest of times in MLC 2026.
With two wins in five outings, Smith and his boys languish at the bottom of the MLC points table. However, given how MI New York turned the tables in MLC last year, anything can happen in reality.
For those who are unaware, MI New York lost six of their opening seven matches in MLC 2025. Eventually, they ended up winning the whole thing, defeating Washington Freedom in the final.
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