Allen's Blitz: 151 Off 51 Balls Leaves Freedom Reeling in MLC 2025 Opener

Finn Allen's 51-ball 151 in the MLC 2025 opener was nothing short of a cricketing supernova—one of those innings that redraws the boundaries of possibility in T20 cricket. His brutal assault powered the San Francisco Unicorns to 269 for 5, a total that overwhelmed defending champions Washington Freedom, who crumbled under the scoreboard pressure to lose by 123 runs. Key Highlights from Allen’s Masterclass: Fastest 150 in T20 history: Reached in just 50 balls. Most sixes in a T20 innings: 19, surpassing all previous records. Highest individual score in MLC history: 151. His century came off just 34 balls, one of the fastest ever in franchise T20 cricket. The Mayhem Timeline: Powerplay recovery: Despite early wickets (Seifert and Fraser-McGurk), Allen's 67-run powerplay set the tone. Middle-over massacre: Over 8: Sanjay Krishnamurthi took 24 runs off Rachin Ravindra. Over 9: Allen launched into Mitchell Owen for three sixes. From overs 8 to 14: Unicorns plundered 127 runs. Allen’s dismissal in the 18th over slowed the scoring slightly, but Hassan Khan’s late cameo (38* off 18) ensured they finished with a mammoth 269. Washington Freedom’s Response: They started brightly, but once the required rate spiraled, the chase unraveled. The psychological weight of chasing nearly 14 runs per over from ball one proved too heavy, despite their championship pedigree. Broader Impact: Allen’s innings not only rewrote the MLC record books, it also reasserted the league's explosive potential as a platform for high-octane, global-quality cricket. For the Unicorns, it was a perfect statement win against the defending champions. For Freedom, it’s a sharp early wake-up call—one they’ll need to respond to quickly. Final Word: This wasn't just a big innings—it was a landmark in T20 cricket. Rarely has power-hitting been combined with such efficiency and audacity. Finn Allen didn’t just dominate a match—he redefined it. San Francisco Unicorns 269 for 5 (Allen 151, Hassan 38*, Edwards 2-39) beat Washington Freedom 146 (Ravindra 42, Owen 39, Rauf 3-30, Hassan 3-38) by 123 runs