Faf du Plessis sullies Tim Seifert's debut in blockbuster start to MLC 2026

MLC 2026 got a blockbuster opening as Seattle Orcas and Texas Super Kings traded individual centuries - first from Tim Seifert, and then Faf du Plessis, in a 220-v-220 fixture at the Grand Prairie stadium in Dallas. The South African veteran did it better, and quicker, as he oversaw a fantastic six-wicket victory for the Super Kings with an undefeated 113 off just 52 deliveries.

The first evening of the tournament saw the bowlers be reduced to a side show as the ball flew in all directions. Seifert started off his MLC debut with a six off Wiaan Mulder in the opening over of the game, and retained his foot on fifth gear through the rest of his essay. Orcas had 57 in the Powerplay, with Seifert scoring 39 off those from 24 deliveries while his opening partner Shayan Jahangir made a scratchy start, helping himself to 10 (13) in that period. The carnage carried on in the middle overs, still predominantly off Seifert's willow as he got to a 32-ball fifty. Orcas got to the halfway stage on 89/0, with Seifert on 54 off 37 and Jahangir on a run-a-ball 24.

The turnaround for Jahangir came in two of the next four overs. He tonked Amshi de Silva for two sixes in a 16-run 11th over and then laid into Mohammad Mohsin, hitting four sixes and a four in a 30-run over that earned him his half-century. Between these two overs, Seifert went after Shubham Ranjane with two sixes and a four as the Orcas flew. The Super Kings pulled back a touch in relative terms at the death, as they conceded 46 in it despite the final over going for as much as 18 runs. In the penultimate over, Seifert brought up his 64-ball century.

Du Plessis took the shine away from that maiden century by tonking one of his own. His opener partner Saiteja Mukkamulla fell in the opening over for a duck but du Plessis forged a second-wicket stand with Rilee Rossouw where the South African duo nearly killed the chase in the Powerplay. They didn't waste time in pushing on as 17 came off the second over from Cameron Gannon. Du Plessis then went 4, 6, 6 against Jasdeep Singh, an over which Rossouw capped off with another four. Another boundary took TSK past 50 in just 3.1 overs and kept Orcas on their toes early. The runs just kept coming as Rossouw hit three fours in the same fourth over. By the end of the Powerplay, both the batters were in their 40s, with TSK well ahead of the asking rate at 89/0.

Seifert then got involved again, with a sharp one-handed take behind the stumps, to send Rossouw back for a 21-ball 49 in the seventh over but nothing changed for TSK's 41-year-old veteran skipper. He got a 24-ball fifty in the ninth over and pushed the team to 123/2 in 10 overs. Just when it looked like there was a dip in chase, with Milind Kumar also departing, du Plessis once again turned the tide in a 22-run 13th over where he hit three exquisite sixes off Ottneil Baartman. Ranjane then fell cheaply too but TSK went into the death overs needing 50 off it. Mulder joined in on the big hitting fun with his South African compatriot, who reached a 45-ball century in the 16th over.

There were two sixes in that over that reduced the equation to just 32 off 24. The required rate dipped below six as Dasun Shanaka conceded 15 in the 17th over. Mulder was in a hurry to wrap the chase up as he threw his bat around, while du Plessis didn't show signs of slowing down either. They wrapped up the chase in the 19th over, with du Plessis walking off with an unbeaten 113 off 52 while Mulder got a valuable 31* off 15.

Brief Scores: Seattle Orcas 220/2 in 20 overs (Tim Seifert 104, Shayan Jahangir 78) lost to Texas Super Kings 221/4 in 18.3 overs (Faf du Plessis 113*, Wiaan Mulder 31*) by 6 wickets