San Francisco Unicorns will tackle the Major League Cricket play-offs without their leading wicket-taker after Haris Rauf suffered a Grade-1 hamstring strain. The Pakistan fast bowler pulled up while fielding against Texas Super Kings on 4 July, managed only one over, and left the ground holding his right leg. Subsequent MRI scans confirmed the injury, ruling him out of the business end of the tournament.
Rauf’s absence is a double blow. With 17 wickets in eight matches, he shared top spot on the competition charts and had been central to the Unicorns finishing third with seven wins from ten. It also puts his involvement in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series in Bangladesh, scheduled to begin on 20 July, in serious doubt. The national selectors are monitoring his recovery closely.
Left-arm seamer Ben Lister has been called up as replacement. The New Zealander had already been training with the squad and was pressed into service for the final league fixture on 6 July, a defeat to Los Angeles Knight Riders that cost the Unicorns a top-two finish. Lister’s figures of 2.1-0-43-0 were untidy, yet the coaching staff believe time in the middle will help him settle before Thursday’s Eliminator against MI New York in Dallas.
A brief league statement confirmed Rauf’s condition: “Haris sustained a Grade-1 hamstring strain and will take no further part in MLC 2025.” Unicorns physio staff echoed the sentiment, stressing the need for caution given a packed international calendar.
The side now reshuffles its attack. Matt Henry and Saurabh Netravalkar are likely to share the new ball, with Lister offering variation. Captain Aaron Finch remained pragmatic: “Injuries happen. We back the squad depth we’ve built.”
For Rauf, rehabilitation starts immediately. Pakistan will hope the strain heals quickly; the bowler’s raw pace is a key component of their T20 plans. For the Unicorns, attention turns to New York—and to making sure their campaign does not end as abruptly as their spearhead’s.
