It is the third season, and teams will start on a fresh note. There have been several changes in all teams, and the sides have roped in big names. We expect a competitive tournament and an action-packed season. Let us look at the six teams and discuss their strengths.
MI New York
From winning the title in 2023 to barely reaching the playoffs in 2024, MI New York has seen it all. They struggled with their form and consistency in 2024, winning only two of their seven league games. Kieron Pollard continues to be the captain and will look to the upsets of the last season behind. He is a seasoned campaigner and looks to lead from the front. The squad has several big names, including Trent Boult, Quinton de Kock, Rashid Khan, Michael Bracewell, Nicholas Pooran, and Azmatullah Omarzai. Pollard would look for a good start after struggling in 2024. They have the firepower to win the tournament again, and the MI New York skipper would expect a clinical show from his players.
Squad - Kieron Pollard (c), Ehsan Adil, Trent Boult, Nosthush Kenjige, Rashid Khan, Monank Patel, Sunny Patel, Nicholas Pooran, Heath Richards, Rushil Ugarkar, Agni Chopra, Tajinder Singh, Kunwarjit Singh, Sharad Lumba, George Linde, Quinton de Kock, Michael Bracewell, Naveen-ul-Haq, Azmatullah Omarzai
Seattle Orcas
The Orcas had done well in 2023 and lost in the final. However, it was a nightmare for the team last season, where they finished at the bottom of the points table. The side managed to win only once last year and is looking to make a good start. David Warner comes in as the skipper and brings vast experience. He expects strong performances from his players. Heinrich Klaasen, Sikandar Raza, Shimron Hetmyer, Kyle Mayers, and Gulbadin Naib add a lot of experience to this team. The side will look to repeat their consistency from 2023 and take inspiration from their wins.
Squad - David Warner (c), Ayan Desai, Cameron Gannon, Aaron Jones, Heinrich Klaasen, Ali Sheikh, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Sujit Nayak, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir, Rahul Jariwala, Sikandar Raza, Obed McCoy, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shimron Hetmyer, Gulbadin Naib, Kyle Mayers, Waqar Salamkheil
Washington Freedom
They are the defending champions and shall look to start from where they left off last season. Steven Smith, who led from the front last season, continues as skipper and will use his experience to guide the team to another title. The batting lineup is strong for the team, with the likes of Steven Smith, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, and Rachin Ravindra. The bowling attack has Jason Behrendorff, Saurabh Netravalkar, and Lockie Ferguson. They are one of the strongest teams this year, and it will be interesting to see if the side can build on their form and do well.
Squad - Steve Smith (c), Mukhtar Ahmed, Amila Aponso, Justin Dill, Jack Edwards, Lockie Ferguson, Andries Gous, Ian Holland, Glenn Maxwell, Lahiru Milantha, Yasir Mohammad, Saurabh Netravalkar, Obus Pienaar, Rachin Ravindra, Abhishek Paradkar, Mark Chapman, Ben Sears, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Owen, Glenn Phillips
Texas Super Kings
For the last two seasons, the Texas Super Kings have shown consistency during the league stage, but come the playoffs, the team has seen a drop in its form. They lost in the Challenger in 2024, a repeat from the previous season. Faf du Plessis, who has years of experience, would like to learn from those losses and lead from the front. The squad is power-packed with players like Devon Conway, Aiden Markram, Neveen-ul-Haq, and Mitchell Santner. The side did well as a group last year, and they have the batting firepower and bowling resources to go the distance and win this title.
Squad – Faf du Plessis (c), Noor Ahmad, Devon Conway, Milind Kumar, Mohammad Mohsin, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Calvin Savage, Marcus Stoinis, Joshua Tromp, Zia-ul-Haq, Shubham Ranjane, Stephen Wiig, Adam Khan, Daryl Mitchell, Nandre Burger, Adam Milne, Mitchell Marsh, Donovan Ferreira, Smit Patel
San Francisco Unicorns
The Unicorns did well last season, finishing second on the points table after the league stage. They carried the form in the playoffs and reached the finals but had a poor outing against Washington Freedom. It marked improvement from their campaign in 2023, where they failed to reach the second round. Corey Anderson will take over as the team's skipper and look to draw the positives out of the last season. They have several big names, including Liam Plunkett, Romario Shepherd, Tim Seifert, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Haris Rauf. They were consistent with the bat and the ball last year, and it will be interesting to see if the side can repeat a similar performance this year.
Squad - Corey Anderson (c), Finn Allen, Brody Couch, Juanoy Drysdale, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Karima Gore, Hassan Khan, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Carmi le Roux, Liam Plunkett, Haris Rauf, Matthew Short, Hammad Azam, Achilles Browne, Romario Shepherd, Xavier Bartlett, Tim Seifert, Callum Stow, Cooper Connolly
Los Angeles Knight Riders
It was a forgettable tournament for the Knight Riders last year, and they failed to qualify for the playoffs. They finished at the bottom in 2023 and have been the weakest teams in the last two years. Touted as one of the favorites on cricket betting sites, they failed to live up to the expectations. Sunil Narine will lead the side again and look for a better show. They have some of the best players in this format and look to get the best out of them. Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder, Alex Hales, and Anrich Nortje make it a star-studded side, and they will look to do well.
Squad - Sunil Narine (c), Saif Badar, Unmukt Chand, Corné Dry, Adithya Ganesh, Ali Khan, Nitish Kumar, Andre Russell, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Matthew Tromp, Karthik Gattepalli, Anrich Nortje, Alex Hales, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Fletcher, Tanveer Sangha, Jason Holder
