MLC 2023 | Team Analysis - San Francisco Unicorns

image-lk2jax94Marcus Stoinis will be a big X-factor for the San Francisco Unicorns (Source: Twitter)

With the MLC right around the corner it is time to look at another team that has got some interesting players in their squad. The San Francisco Unicorns is a California based team that is owned by Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan. They will start off their season against the MI New York on the 15th of July at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas. The team will be led by Australian 2021 T20 World Cup winning captainAaron Finch. 

This 19 man Squad including the Australian T20 specialist includes David White, Finn Allen, Mackenzie Harvey, Corey Anderson, Marcus Stoinis, Tajinder Dhillon, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Shadab Khan, Smit Patel, Matthew Wade, Liam Plunkett, Lungi Ngidi, Carmi Le Roux, Brody Couch, Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Qais Ahmad, Haris Rauf and Amila Aponso.



Marcus stoinis has been a consistent performer in T20’s which will make him one of the key players along with Corey Anderson who is coming back after a long break. Even though there might be some challenges in the batting department, they still have some decent bowling options with attacking spinners Shadab khan and Qais Ahmed along with some brilliant pacers in Liam Plunkett, Lungi Ngidi and Haris Rauf.

The Stoinis Conundrum: Unlocking the Optimal Batting Slot

image-lk2io4jiMarcus Batting Position-wise Stats since 2021

The batting lineup of this team seems very inexperienced which will be a test for skipper Aaron Finch who has been going through a horrid couple of seasons so far with his performances and the Kiwi flamboyant strokemaker Finn allen.

We all know how impactful Stoinis can be for his side with his ability to play the big shots when required but his batting position has been a mystery throughout his career as he has batted at almost every position from opener to lower middle order. Since 2021 he has opened the batting 14 times where he was at the striker and non striker position seven times each. 

These stats suggest that he is not comfortable facing the first ball where he has scored only 91 runs averaging only 13 and striking at an underwhelming strike rate of 105.8, but his numbers at the other end are surprisingly different where he has scored 278 runs at an average of 46.3 with a decent strike rate of 138.3. Which might indicate that he might have problems against the new ball.

His scores at no.3 are disappointing as well with only 72 runs from 6 games averaging only 7.8 and striking at 65.3 which is below par. From the last two years he's batted the most at no.4 where he has scored 544 runs at an average of 32.0 and has a phenomenal strike rate of 161.9. 

At no.5 he might have a lower average in the 17 games but his strike rate of 135.4 is still commendable in T20’s. His runs lower down the order might not be much, but he is still striking at 160.0, 152.9 and 223.5 respectively in those three positions that indicate his ability as a finisher as well. This makes Stonis the typical floater in T20 cricket.



Conclusion

Overall the San Francisco Unicorns are a team that may face a lot of challenges going into the league. A skipper who has not been in the best of form and some players who have not played much Franchise cricket could be one of the major problems. The bowling attack looks good with a good balance of pace and spin but it will still require the necessary support from the batting lineup which should fire.