MLC 2026 Week 1 — Texas Super Kings vs Seattle Orcas, Faf du Plessis 84 and Ravichandran's 3/22 Spell

The Texas Super Kings have built their MLC identity around two players — Faf du Plessis at the top and Mitchell Santner in the middle. The 2026 opener at Grand Prairie added a third: Ashok Ravichandran, a 22-year-old from Houston who took 3 for 22 on debut. Faf made 84 off 51 to anchor the Texas innings to 198. Ravichandran got the three middle-overs wickets that broke the Seattle Orcas chase. Texas won by 27 runs and the season is off to the start the franchise had planned.

Phase one: Faf at the top

Faf du Plessis has been Texas' opener for three seasons now. He averages 47 in MLC and strikes at 142. The 2026 opener was textbook Faf — boundary off the first over, two slower-ball misses by Quinton du Toit in the second, a 25-ball setup that ended with Faf on 28 not out at the powerplay break.

The acceleration came in the 11th over. Andre Russell of Seattle had been brought on, and Faf had targeted that matchup in the team meeting. Russell's first over went for 13 — a six over square leg and a four through cover. Russell's second over (the 13th) went for 14. The two overs from the Seattle change bowler gave Faf 27 of his 84 runs.

What the numbers say

Faf's 84 off 51 broke into three gears. Phase one (balls 1-21): 28 runs at strike rate 133.3, three boundaries. Phase two (balls 22-37): 28 runs at strike rate 175.0, three sixes. Phase three (balls 38-51): 28 runs at strike rate 200.0, two fours and one six.

The matchup splits: against Mark Steketee 14 off 11, against Quinton du Toit 12 off 9, against Andre Russell 27 off 11, against Aaron Hardie 6 off 6, against Wanindu Hasaranga 25 off 14. The Russell matchup was the boundary mine, the Hasaranga matchup was the singles work.

The shot map showed Faf using the leg-side V for 35 percent of his runs — pulled fours and lofted sixes over deep midwicket. The off-side scoring zone gave him another 29 percent. Behind square — a Faf weakness historically — accounted for 12 runs.

The Ravichandran spell

Ravichandran came on at the 8th over of the Seattle chase with the score at 60 for 1. Seattle had Quinton de Kock at 40 not out and the chase was on track. Ravichandran's first over went for 4 and ended with the wicket of de Kock — bowled by a top-spinner that came in off the surface.

His second over (the 10th) was a maiden. Aaron Hardie at the crease and Cameron Green at the other end. Ravichandran got Hardie in his next over for 6 with another leg-spin top-spinner that pitched on middle and hit the leg-stump. Two overs later in the 14th he got Green for 18 with a wrong'un that took the edge to slip.

Three wickets in seven overs at the cost of 22 runs. The economy of 3.14 was the best by any Texas bowler in the match. The wickets were the spine of the Seattle chase.

The four overs that flipped the chase

Seattle needed 199 with the score at 60 for 1 in the eighth over. The fall of de Kock for 40 in the same over Ravichandran came on was the first turn. The fall of Hardie three overs later was the second. The fall of Green two overs after that was the third. The match was over by the 15th over of the chase. Seattle finished 171 for 7 in 20 overs.

The fourth turn was the death-overs bowling from Mark Steketee. Texas' Australian pace import bowled the 18th and 20th for 7 and 9 runs respectively, and his slower ball cleaned up Cameron Boyce in the final over.

What it means for the season

Texas have a balanced look. Faf at the top, Mitchell Santner at five, Marcus Stoinis as the finisher, and a varied attack with Steketee, Ravichandran, and Devon Conway as the keeper. The Ravichandran emergence is the biggest news. He was signed by the franchise out of a club league in Houston and his MLC debut showed he can hold a slot.

For Seattle the season opens with a question mark on Wanindu Hasaranga's role. He bowled four overs for 38 and looked second-tier behind Texas's spinners. The Andre Russell-Hardie middle order needs to fire.

The forward view

Texas Super Kings play Washington Freedom at Grand Prairie on May 17 — the heavyweight first-week match. Faf vs Maxwell, Steketee vs Nortje. The Texas-Washington rivalry is the format's headline matchup.

Seattle travel to face the LA Knight Riders on May 18. They will need a better top-order start than the 60-for-1-becomes-60-for-2 pattern at Grand Prairie.

What to watch next: Faf du Plessis vs Anrich Nortje at the death in Texas Super Kings vs Washington Freedom on May 17.

Related coverage

• the 2026-27 international calendar
• WTC Final cycle
• Mlc 2026 Franchise Tax Dispute
• Mlc 2026 Week 2 Double