Ben Dwarshuis put on an all-round show to guide Washington Freedom to a crucial victory against Texas Super Kings in Dallas. The win lifted Washington to fourth place in the MLC 2026, joining three other teams – San Franciso Unicorns, Los Angeles Knight Riders and MI New York – on 10 points, while TSK remained rooted to the bottom with six points after a fourth successive defeat.

Asked to bat, TSK were given a strong platform by Faf du Plessis (61 off 41) and Saiteja Mukkamalla (47 off 29), who added 93 for the first wicket. But once the partnership was broken, Freedom’s bowlers triggered a collapse, with Mitchell Owen, Nikhil Chaudhary and Rachin Ravindra claiming two wickets each as TSK lost their last seven wickets for just 35 runs to finish on 165. Dwarshuis chipped in with 1 for 32.

The chase was built around Steven Smith‘s 46 off 29 balls and Ravindra’s brisk 24, but regular wickets left Freedom needing 59 from the final five overs. Dwarshuis, at No. 8, then turned the game with a blistering knock of 38 not out off 16 balls, striking three sixes and two fours, and he and Marco Jansen sealed the chase with two balls remaining.

The defeat was a major blow to TSK’s playoff hopes in a must-win contest.