He took 4 for 32 in 4 overs at an economy of 8.00.
Punjab Kings star Xavier Bartlett impresses for San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 despite defeat against Washington Freedom at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, strengthening his case for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 retention.
MAL
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HKG
–
WI
–
AUS
–
RWA
–
ML
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
ROM
178/6
LUX
11/0
HUN
–
AUST
–
AUST
–
LUX
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
ALZ
21/3
JIHCC
163/4
RPH
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MAR
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JIHCC
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ALZ
–
RPH
–
JIHCC
–
ALZ
–
RPH
–
TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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BOT-W
16/3
MWW-W
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EWW-W
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LSN-W
13/2
RWA-W
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SLO-W
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CW-W
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MZW-W
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GUJCC
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SUL
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CHK
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TCC
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FRC
122/4
KLG
108/6
Fatemi Resources Cricket Club beat KL Gladiators by 14 runs
JBK
80/4
SWCL
106/5
Sky Warriors Cricket Club beat JB Kings by 26 runs
UTC
78/4
MXC
80/2
Maxx Cricket Club beat Utkal Cricket Club by 8 wickets
MKP
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MBMS
5/1
FRC
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MXC
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JBK
–
MBMS
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UTC
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KLG
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MKP
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SWCL
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UAE
121/3
NIG
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KNY
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NBA
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KNY
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NIG
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UAE
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UGA
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VMK
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MMS
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MAK
154/9
BDS
155/4
Boost Defenders beat Mis Ainak Knights by 6 wickets
ASS
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SGT
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WIU19-W
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USAU19-W
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WIU19-W
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USAU19-W
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TBLZ-W
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BRB-W
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TBC
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TBC
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Match Cancelled
SUR-W
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TBC
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IAC
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AAC
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PNC
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WIC
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SAC
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AAC
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IAC
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EDC
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NZ
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SA
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IRE-W
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ZIM-W
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In the match, San Francisco Unicorns bowled first and restricted Washington Freedom to 169 for 6 in 20 overs. Their best bowler in the innings was Xavier Bartlett, who picked up four wickets. He took 4 for 32 in 4 overs at an economy of 8.00.
He struck on the very first ball of the innings, dismissing Mitchell Owen. Then, on the fourth ball of the same over, he removed Andries Gous. In his second over, he claimed the wicket of Rachin Ravindra on the final delivery. During the 16th over of the innings, he struck again on the second ball, removing Jack Edwards. Xavier Bartlett played a key role by dismissing the top three batters of Washington Freedom.
He now has 14 wickets in seven matches and is joint second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with two four-wicket hauls and an economy rate of 9.43.
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Despite Xavier Bartlett’s impressive performance with the ball, it was not enough for the Unicorns, as they lost the match by 12 runs. They failed to chase the target and were restricted to 157 for 9 in 20 overs. Matthew Short scored 67 and Jahmar Hamilton remained unbeaten on 31, but there were not enough contributions from the rest of the batters.
For Washington Freedom, Mitchell Owen was the standout bowler with a five-wicket haul. Earlier with the bat, Glenn Phillips scored a half-century, while Jack Edwards and Obus Pienaar also made valuable contributions.
With his good form in MLC 2025, Xavier Bartlett is making a strong case to be retained by Punjab Kings for IPL 2026. He played four matches in IPL 2025 and took only two wickets, but his recent performances have been impressive and hard to ignore.
He also scored an unbeaten 59 earlier in MLC 2025. Punjab Kings might take note of this and consider giving Bartlett another chance by retaining him before the IPL 2026 auction later this year.
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