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Xavier Bartlett's No 9 Heroics For Unicorns Sees Unbelievable Turnaround In MLC Clash

Soumyajit Dutta

Xavier Bartlett [Source: @SFOUnicorns/X.com]Xavier Bartlett [Source: @SFOUnicorns/X.com]

Australian star and PBKS signee ahead of IPL 2025, Xavier Bartlett produced a stunning match-winning performance for San Francisco Unicorns as they defeated MI New York by three wickets in the 6th match of MLC 2025 at the Oakland Coliseum on Sunday.

Bartlett smashed an unbeaten 59 off just 25 deliveries, steering the SF Unicorns to a successful chase of 183 with five balls remaining. Later, he was rightfully named Player of the Match for his heroic effort.

How Xavier Bartlett's Heroics Led To a Stunning Turnaround?

MI New York had earlier posted 182/7 in their 20 overs, powered by a fluent 63 from Quinton de Kock and a quickfire 30 by Kieron Pollard. Despite a steady flow of wickets, Sunny Patel’s unbeaten 20 off 11 balls helped them finish strong. For SFU, Haris Rauf and Carmi le Roux picked up two wickets each.

Chasing 183, the Unicorns faced early trouble as they lost four wickets for just 42 runs in the powerplay. Tim Seifert provided some resistance with 33 off 27, but it was Hassan Khan’s explosive 43 off 17 balls that brought the momentum back into SFU's innings.

Xavier Bartlett Demolishes MINY's Hopes

Still needing 38 runs when skipper Corey Anderson fell at 145/7 in the 16th over, the Unicorns’ hopes rested on Bartlett. The right-hander held his nerve and launched a brutal assault, slamming 4 fours and 5 sixes in his blistering knock, including the winning runs in the 20th over.

Xavier Bartlett’s ice-cool finish and fearless hitting earned widespread praise as San Francisco Unicorns chased down the target in 19.1 overs, finishing at 188/7.

Earlier with the ball, Bartlett had also bowled his full quota, conceding 32 runs in 4 overs, maintaining pressure in the middle overs even though he went wicketless. His all-round show proved crucial in what turned out to be one of the best matches of the MLC 2025 season so far.

Though Bartlett didn't yield much in IPL 2025 with the Punjab Kings in his 4 matches, his post-IPL heroics dazzled the MLC and might as well continue to stun in the upcoming matches as well.