EMERGING AUSTRALIAN ALL-ROUNDER COOPER CONNOLLY JOINS SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS

• Batting all-rounder joins the Unicorns’ Australian contingent for the 2025 Cognizant Major League Cricket season.
• Whirlwind year for 21-year-old has seen him represent Australia in all three formats, while this signing marks Connolly’s first franchise commitment overseas.

The San Francisco Unicorns has made the exciting Australian talent Cooper Connolly its first international signing for the third season of Cognizant Major League Cricket, set to begin on June 12.

Offering international experience with Australia across all formats, the 21-year-old is well-placed to provide flexibility and balance to the Unicorns line-up with his ability to anchor an innings and accelerate the rate while posing a threat with left-arm spin.

This will be Connolly’s overseas T20 franchise debut, having played exclusively for the Perth Scorchers to date in the Big Bash League, where he averages over 38 with the bat and holds an economy of 7.27 with the ball.

Connolly will join fellow young Australian Jake Fraser-McGurk in the Unicorns squad, who also made his international T20 debut with Connolly on their tour of England and Scotland after MLC 2024, along with fellow all-rounder and compatriot Matt Short for the 2025 season.

Cooper Connolly, said: “This last year’s been a breakthrough for myself on the international stage, and now I can’t wait to test myself in overseas franchise T20 for the first time with the San Francisco Unicorns.

“The prospect of playing in front of a home crowd, as well as in Texas and Florida, alongside and against some of the biggest names in world cricket is very exciting, and I can’t wait to help the team put on a show for Unicorns and US cricket fans come June.”

Shane Watson, Head Coach of San Francisco Unicorns, said: “Cooper’s all-round ability is going to be a key asset for the Unicorns this summer. Although he’s young, he’s shown maturity and adaptability beyond his age; not many players have international experience across both white ball formats and earned a baggy green at 21.

“We came up one short last year, but now, playing in front of our home fans for the first time, with a largely settled roster and some key additions, like Cooper, we’re ready to go one better in our ambition to win the MLC trophy.”

San Francisco Unicorns will begin the 2025 MLC season at the Oakland Coliseum, with the tournament’s first match against last year’s winners, Washington Freedom, on Thursday, June 12, with two more matches scheduled at the same venue against LA Knight Riders on June 14, and MI New York on June 15, before the teams move to the next set of fixtures at Grand Prairie Stadium, TX.

Tickets for all matches are now on sale and can be purchased through the official Cognizant Major League Cricket website.