Aponso, Lamba, Jahangir, and Taylor Light Up MiLC 2025

Following a thrilling opening weekend, Round 2 of Minor League Cricket 2025 delivered even more drama — featuring two brilliant hat-tricks, a dominant century, standout performances from MLC stars, and USA internationals showcasing their class. With minimal rain interruptions, the weekend built strong momentum as the tournament moves into its decisive stages.

Here are the standout highlights:
1: A Weekend of Hat-Tricks: Lamba and Aponso Raise the Bar
Round 2 delivered not one but two hat-tricks:
Abhimanyu Lamba (St. Louis Americans): Produced a stunning spell of 25/5 against Chicago Kingsmen, highlighted by a rare sequence of four wickets in four balls.

Amila Aponso (Atlanta Lightning): Grabbed the weekend’s second hat-trick, striking three times in the 19th over to finish with 10/5, sealing a crucial win with an exceptional performance against Orlando Galaxy.

2: Shayan Jahangir’s Century (Dallas Xforia Giants)
USA international Shayan Jahangir scored the second century of MiLC 2025 with an unbeaten 113 off just 66 balls hitting 5 fours and 8 huge maximums in the process. His fiery knock carried the Giants to a commanding 65-run win over Lone Star Athletics and stood out as one of the finest innings of the season so far.

3: MLC Stars Shine
The MLC stars made their presence felt in the clash between Metroplex Tracers and Kings XI Dallas. While Shubham Ranjane (MPT) continued his stellar form producing an excellent captain’s knock with an all-round display of 61 (39b) and 2 wickets to his name for the Tracers, the Kings XI Dallas duo Corey Anderson and Unmukt Chand answered with blazing knocks of 74 (43b) and 61 (47b) respectively, adding to the win tally of MiLC’s new franchise.

4: Aaron Johnson’s Run-fest Remains Unstoppable (San Ramon Grizzlies)
Aaron Johnson has been the most reliable batter of the season so far. He notched up his fourth half-century, scoring 66 (35b) against the Seattle Thunderbolts. With 324 runs in 7 matches, Johnson currently leads the batting charts and has been the backbone of the Grizzlies’ batting order.

5: Steven Taylor’s Hot Form Continues (Atlanta Fire)
USA international Steven Taylor continued his excellent form with the bat. After blasting one of the season’s best knocks earlier in Round 1 (70 off 23), he continued to be undeterred at the top, smashing another half-century in Round 2 smashing 52 off just 26 deliveries against Ft. Lauderdale Lions, taking his tally to three so far this season. Taylor remains one of the most dangerous top-order batters in the league.

Honorable Mentions

• Sunny Patel (Atlanta Fire): Delivered a match-winning all-round performance with 36 (22b) with the bat and 29/3 with his spin brilliance against Orlando Galaxy. Continuing his great form from Round 1, Patel continues to be Atlanta’s most reliable player.
• Omkar Zope (The Philadelphians): Batting on one of the toughest pitches at the Mercer County Park, the 18-year-old batter scored a wonderful half-century against Manhattan Yorkers, proving his potential as a top-order batter in tough conditions.
• Unmukt Chand (Kings XI Dallas): Strung together back-to-back knocks of 65 against Metroplex Tracers and 37 in the following game against Lone Star Athletics, giving Kings XI Dallas vital stability at the top.
• Rehman Dar (Kings XI Dallas): Complemented Chand with consecutive half-centuries at the top. Dar scored 61against Tracers and 54 against Lone Star Athletics, proving his value as a steady performer for the new franchise.