Haris rauf retained by San Francisco Unicorns ahead of MLC 2025 player draft

Pakistan’s pacer Haris Rauf has been retained by San Francisco Unicorns ahead of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 player draft, set to take place on February 19.

Despite a below-par performance in the previous edition—where he managed just four wickets at an expensive average of 73.50 in nine matches—the Unicorns have opted to keep Rauf among their 12 retained players. The franchise, which finished as runners-up last season, has retained most of its core squad but has released key international stars, including Australia’s Pat Cummins and Josh Inglis, as well as New Zealand’s Matt Henry.

Meanwhile, defending champions Washington Freedom retained the highest number of players among the six teams, with 15 players set to continue.

However, they have parted ways with explosive Australian opener Travis Head, who was the joint-highest run-scorer last season alongside team captain Steve Smith.

The Freedom also released West Indies’ Akeal Hosein and Australia’s Andrew Tye.

The Seattle Orcas, who endured a dismal campaign last season by winning just one of their seven league-stage matches, are undergoing a significant squad overhaul.

The franchise has retained the least number of players and has let go of several overseas stars, including South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell, and West Indies’ Obed McCoy.

With franchises finalizing their retentions, the upcoming MLC 2025 player draft is expected to bring in several high-profile international players and fresh talent to reshape team lineups for the tournament.

List of players retained for MLC 2025

LA Knight Riders: Ali Khan, Adithya Ganesh, Unmukt Chand, Nitish Kumar, Corne Dry, Saif Badar, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Matthew Tromp, Spencer Johnson, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine.

MI New York: Ehsan Adil, Nosthush Kenjige, Monank Patel, Heath Richards, Rushil Ugarkar, Sunny Patel, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult.

San Francisco Unicorns: Corey Anderson, Hassan Khan, Liam Plunkett, Carmi Le Roux, Brody Couch, Karima Gore, Juanoy Drysdale, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Haris Rauf, Finn Allen, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matthew Short.

Seattle Orcas: Harmeet Singh, Cameron Gannon, Ali Sheikh, Ayan Desai, Aaron Jones, Heinrich Klaasen, Ryan Rickelton.

Texas Super Kings: Joshua Tromp, Calvin Savage, Milind Kumar, Mohammad Mohsin, Zia-ul-Haq, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Faf du Plessis, Devon Conway, Noor Ahmad, Marcus Stoinis.

Washington Freedom: Andries Gous, Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ian Holland, Amila Aponso, Justin Dill, Lahiru Milantha, Yasir Mohammad, Marco Jansen, Glenn Maxwell, Lockie Ferguson, Rachin Ravindra, Steven Smith, Jack Edwards.