Washington Freedom have won the latest edition of the Major League Cricket, beating San Francisco Unicorns in the final yesterday (July 28) — here’s Wisden's MLC 2024 Team of the Tournament.

Travis Head (Washington Freedom)

336 runs @ 48, SR: 173.19

Continued his form at the top, scoring the most number of half-centuries (five) this year. He hit 40 fours in nine innings, the second-most in the competition, combined with 18 sixes, the third-most this year, as well as ending in joint second on the run-scoring charts. His consistency in the season earned him the Player of the Tournament award.

Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings)

420 runs @ 52.50, SR: 171.42

The highest run-scorer in 2024 and the only player to breach the 400-run barrier, Faf du Plessis was in blistering form in the tournament. He topped the boundary columns – 43 fours and 23 sixes – and scored a 58-ball 100 against the champions in a rain-abandoned game.

Steve Smith (Washington Freedom)

336 runs @ 56, SR: 148.67

Overlooked from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, Smith showed he still had much left in his tank in the format. He was the star of the show in the final, racking up a 52-ball 88 to cap off a successful season as the joint second-highest run-scorer.

Glenn Maxwell (Washington Freedom)

153 runs @ 38.25, SR: 164.51
10 wickets @ 17, ER: 6.66

A batting all-rounder who excelled in his bowling but also played his trademark whirlwind knocks from time to time, Maxwell played the part of a dasher to perfection. He struck in excess of 180 in his last few knocks in the event, and scored an unbeaten 23-ball 54 against San Francisco Unicorns in the Qualifier. He followed that with 40 off 22 in the final. His most notable bowling effort was the 3-15 he took against Los Angeles Knight Riders in the group stage.

Josh Inglis (San Francisco Unicorns)

157 runs @ 19.62, SR: 149.52

While the average doesn't leap off the page, Inglis showed once again why Australia prefer him as the first-choice wicketkeeper for limited-overs lately with his crucial cameos. Among his many fireworks in the end, a match-winning unbeaten 45 off 17 balls in the group stage against Washington and a 25-ball 37 in a close Challenger match against the Super Kings were his standout innings.

Hassan Khan (San Francisco Unicorns)

204 runs @ 40.80, SR: 143.66
10 wickets @ 17.36, ER: 7.64

The only player to make more than 200 runs and pick up 10 wickets in the event, Hassan was Unicorns’ most valuable player of the tournament. The left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder ended as his team’s highest wicket-taker and was equally potent with the bat as a finisher, ending second on the run-scoring chart.

Rachin Ravindra (Washington Freedom)

99 runs @ 14.14, SR: 137.50
12 wickets @ 6.08, ER: 4.81

Earmarked as one of the future batting mainstays for New Zealand across formats, Ravindra’s season will be remembered for his secondary skill set, his bowling. His wily left-arm orthodox spin proved lethally effective, and his miserly economy and the average are a testament to that.

Rashid Khan (MI New York)

162 runs @ 40.72, SR: 178.08
10 wickets @ 16, ER: 6.15

After leading Afghanistan to their maiden World Cup semi-final nearly a month back, Rashid had an excellent tournament personally, picking up 10 wickets, the most for New York.

While his bowling always shines, to find himself second on New York’s run-scoring leaderboard added to his utility. Both his fifties came against the Super Kings but were in losing causes. The second one came in the Eliminator: A 30-ball 55 rescued New York to 163-8 after a collapse, but it was chased down comfortably to knock New York out of the tournament.

Marco Jansen (Washington Freedom)

11 wickets @ 24.27, ER: 8.61

Jansen added a cutting edge to Washington's pace attack, with teams finding it difficult to manoeuvre the steep bounce he gets off length balls. His 3-28 in the final, included Finn Allen (13 off 13), Jake Fraser McGurk (three off six) and Hassan (13 off six), derailing San Francisco's run chase to bowl them out 96 runs short of the target.

Saurabh Netravalkar (Washington Freedom)

15 wickets @ 13.46, ER: 7.67

Having played a hand in the USA’s Super Eight run in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Netravalkar continues his rise from obscurity. He finished as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament despite missing two matches due to the birth of his child. The left-arm pacer was among the wickets in all his outings except once.

Lockie Ferguson (Washington Freedom)

10 wickets @ 18.40, ER: 7.26

Ferguson was one of the lynchpins of Washington’s three-pronged pace attack, and was firing on all cylinders. His match-turning 4-26 against the Seattle Orcas in the group stage deserves a special mention.

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