SAN FRANCISCO UNICORNS RECRUIT FAST BOWLER XAVIER BARTLETT

• Australian international pace bowler to join up with San Francisco Unicorns for the 2025 Cognizant Major League Cricket season.
  
• Bartlett will make his MLC debut following breakthrough seasons, which have seen him earn his first international caps and top the Big Bash League’s wicket-taking charts.

The San Francisco Unicorns has recruited Xavier Bartlett to its pace bowling department for the upcoming Cognizant Major League Cricket (MLC) season.

Following a breakthrough couple of seasons—domestically, where he finished the 2023–24 Big Bash League as the leading wicket-taker for Brisbane Heat, and internationally, having earned his debut caps for Australia in both white-ball formats—Bartlett is now set to form a potent fast-bowling attack alongside Pakistan international Haris Rauf.

With seven T20I performances under his belt, taking 11 wickets at an economy of just 6.84 and a best of 3/13, ‘Big X’ as he’s nicknamed, is a significant boon to the Unicorns set-up, with his ferocious bowling and handy lower order batting set to thrill the home crowds as the Unicorns play in the Bay Area for the first time.

Xavier Bartlett is the latest addition to the Unicorns’ roster for the 2025 MLC season, with fellow Australian all-rounder Cooper Connolly already announced, along with New Zealand wicketkeeper Tim Seifert.

Xavier Bartlett said: “To play alongside and against some of the best international cricketers around in this year’s MLC, under the tutelage of Shane Watson, is an opportunity too good to turn down.

“The Unicorns is an exciting franchise with a real opportunity of winning the championship this year. I can’t wait to get started, hopefully grabbing some early wickets in what we plan to make an intimidating home fortress at the Oakland Coliseum.”

Shane Watson, Head Coach of San Francisco Unicorns, said: “Xavier has shown his prowess leading the bowling attack for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League and he will be a great addition to the Unicorns bowling line up with his wicket-taking ability with the new ball for this coming 2025 MLC tournament.”

“Having developed through the national pathways in Australia and onto the international scene, he’s matured into a very clever pace bowler, able to both keep the rate down and break key partnerships, and alongside Haris [Rauf], and our skilled domestic fast bowling contingent, we’re now well set in that department.”

The San Francisco Unicorns will kick off the 2025 MLC season at the Oakland Coliseum in California, opening the tournament against last year’s champions, Washington Freedom, on Thursday, June 12. They’ll play two more matches at the same venue—facing the LA Knight Riders on June 14 and MI New York on June 15—before the teams move on to the next set of fixtures at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas.

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