Washington Freedom punched their Major League Cricket 2024 Playoffs ticket in style beating the defending champions MI New York by a mammoth 94 runs. Five games into the new season, we are the only team to remain unbeaten with four wins and a match getting abandoned due to rain.

Standing at the halfway mark, here is a look at how we have fared in MLC 2024 so far.

MLC 2024 points table and qualification scenario

We are currently on top of the MLC 2024 points table with nine points, out of a possible 10, from five matches, with one of our games against Texas Super Kings getting washed out due to rain. We also have a superior Net Run Rate of +2.175, which got a boost after our huge win in the last game against MINY.

We have already qualified for the Playoffs and with another win, we can ensure a top-two finish in the MLC 2024 points table. This will help us to play in the Qualifier and a win there can take us straight into the final.

The Leadership Group

The Australian trio of head coach Ricky Ponting, assistant coach Cameron White and captain Steve Smith have had a positive impact on the team, transforming the side into a winning unit. 

Smith has marshaled his troops well striking the right balance between domestic and overseas players. We are playing aggressive and fearless cricket with players having clarity on their roles.

Moreover, Smith has also come good with the bat giving the team good starts at the top of the order.

Going all guns at the top

Travis Head and Steve Smith have formed a potent combination in MLC this year sending shivers down the bowling attack of oppositions. Together, the Aussie pair has amassed 275 runs from five matches so far, which is almost half of the total 556 runs scored by us (49.46%).

Head is sixth on the overall list of top run-getters in MLC 2024 with 141 runs at an average of 35.25 and a strike rate of 163.95 whereas Smith is eighth with 134 runs at an impressive average of 67.00 and striking at 134.00.

Moreover, both have added 176 runs together for the first wicket this season from just 111 balls at an excellent strike rate of 158.55 to give brisk starts and make things easier for batters coming down the order.

Andries Gous and Rachin Ravindra have also been impressive for us with their power-hitting and stroke play in the limited opportunities they have got to bat.

Netravalkar all the way 

Saurabh Netravalkar has been the spearhead of our bowling attack with 12 wickets from only four matches at an impressive average of 9.16 and an astonishing strike rate of 7.66. Currently, he is on top of the bowling charts of MLC 2024.

The left-arm pacer has been very consistent picking up three or more wickets in three of the four games he has played this season. He has been effective with the new ball as well as the old ball and has struck during all phases of the game. 

Netravalkar has accounted for more than 35% of the total wickets that we have taken in MLC 2024 with his best figures of 4/35 this year, coming against the Los Angeles Knight Riders. He also has a good economy rate of 7.17 runs an over with a dot ball percentage of more than 52%.

Lockie Ferguson is second on the overall wicket-takers list with nine wickets from five matches at an average of 15.00 and a strike rate of 12.00. He along with Netravalkar has kept the batting sides under check and delivered for us in tandem.

Apart from the duo, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen and Jasdeep Singh have also chipped in, when the situation demanded, picking up 14 wickets amongst them. Smith has a well-rounded bowling attack to choose from.

Other positives

After winning three of our four matches batting second, with one match being washed off, we scored a thumping 94-run win against defending champions MI New York batting first. This gives us the confidence to win more matches irrespective of whether we bat first or not.

We have found a way out of some tricky situations to remain unbeaten in the MLC 2024 season. Different players have put their hands up to show courage and character to lift the team when the chips are down.

In our game against Seattle Orcas, we were in all sorts of trouble at 64/5 chasing a modest target of 125. 

But Lahiru Milantha and Obus Pienaar put their heads down and put together a sensible partnership to take us out of trouble. In the end, their unbeaten 63-run partnership for the sixth wicket took us home and got us the all-important two points.

In our last match against MINY, we had a brisk start reaching the 100-run mark inside 11 overs. But the next six overs saw us struggle getting only 37 runs for the loss of two more wickets.

However, Rachin Ravindra came up with a game-changing cameo to help us amass 45 runs in the last three overs. He smashed 24 runs off the last seven balls he faced to take us to 182/5. In the end, that proved the difference as MINY buckled under the scoreboard pressure. 

Also, the presence of three-dimensional players like Maxwell and Ravindra on our side gives us the necessary balance and flexibility as a team. These players can change the game with the bat, ball or their efforts on the field.