History
Cricket has been growing steadily in San Jose, thanks to cricket clubs like the Northern California Cricket Alliance. Looking at these growing numbers, the county supervisors have been planning to build a stadium in the Santa Clara Fairgrounds. [3] The Unicorns' minor league affiliate are the Bay Blazers, which competes in MLC's developmental league Minor League Cricket.
In March 2023, the team ownership, name, and logo was unveiled prior to the inaugural MLC domestic draft. [4] The team is owned by Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, and the team partnered with the Australia's Cricket Victoria for the first season. [2] Justin Gaele, MLC tournament director emphasizing about the Unicorns, told that the Bay Area could serve as the launchpad for cricket in the United States.
2023 season
The Unicorns signed the first overseas player signed in the inaugural MLC — Australian international Aaron Finch. He was subsequently announced as the captain. [5] Corey Anderson, Liam Plunkett, Tajinder Singh and Smit Patel were prominent names picked in the domestic round of the draft; Marcus Stoinis was also announced as another overseas signing by the Unicorns. [6] In May 2023, the team announced direct signing of South African pacer, Lungi Ngidi. [7] On June 20, 2023, Unicorns announced former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson as their head coach for the 2023 season. [8]
The team finished fifth in the tournament, winning just two of their five league matches. [9] They were tied on points with the MI New York, but could not advance to the play-offs due to their negative net run arte.
2024 season
In December 2023, it was announced that the second season of the tournament would begin on July 4, 2024, four days after the conclusion of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. [10] The date was later moved to July 5. [11]
On February 15, 2024, the overseas players Harris Rauf and Finn Allen were retained. On March 1, 2024, the domestic player retention list was announced. Corey Anderson, Liam Plunkett, Carmi le Roux, Brody Couch, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi were among the domestic players that were retained. [12]
The domestic players' draft was virtually held on March 21, 2024, with a total of 20 players being picked by the teams over 10 rounds. [13] An additional draft is scheduled for June 16 in order for teams to complete their squads. [14]
Hassan Khan, Tajinder Singh, Karima Gore, and Jahmar Hamilton were prominent names picked in the domestic round of the draft. [15]
Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Henry, and Josh Inglis were also announced as direct overseas signing by the Unicorns for their second season. [16] [17]
In June 2024, the team announced direct signing of Australia Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins. After signing a four-year contract with the team, Cummins is expected to fill in the leadership vacuum at the Unicorns after Aaron Finch's retirement. [18] He was subsequently announced as the captain.
Pat Cummins has signed a four-year contract with San Francisco Unicorns, becoming one of the highest-profile players on the roster of a Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise. [19]
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