The 2024 Washington Freedom season was the second season of the Washington Freedom franchise in Major League Cricket (MLC). The team was captained by Steve Smith and coached by Ricky Ponting.
Ahead of the 2024 season, previous head coach Greg Shipperd resigned and Ricky Ponting was appointed as the new head coach. Moises Henriques, who had captained the team in 2023, was not retained for the 2024 season, with Steve Smith appointed as the new captain.
Washington Freedom finished the league stage at the top of the table and qualified directly for the Qualifier. They defeated San Francisco Unicorns in the Qualifier to reach the final, where they defeated San Francisco Unicorns to win their first MLC title.
Background In December 2023, it was announced that the second season of the tournament would begin on July 5, 2024, four days after the conclusion of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The team entered the season following a third-place finish in the inaugural 2023 Major League Cricket season, where they were eliminated by Seattle Orcas in the Eliminator.
On February 15, 2024, Washington Freedom retained overseas players Marco Jansen and Akeal Hosein. On March 1, the Freedom retained several domestic players, including Mukhtar Ahmed, Akhilesh Bodugum, Justin Dill, Andries Gous, Saurabh Netravalkar and Obus Pienaar.
The Freedom made several overseas signings ahead of the 2024 season, including Rachin Ravindra, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Lockie Ferguson, Andrew Tye and Jack Edwards.
Squad
Players with international caps are listed in bold. +Washington Freedom 2024 rosterNameDate of BirthBatting StyleBowling StyleYear signedNotesBattersSteve Smith Right-handed Right-arm leg spin 2024 Direct signingTravis HeadLeft-handedRight-arm-off spin2024Direct signingJack Edwards Right-handed 2024Direct signingMukhtar Ahmed Right-handed Right-arm leg break googly 2023 All-roundersMitchell Owen Right-handed Right-arm medium 2025Glenn Maxwell Right-handed Right-arm off break 2024 Direct signingRachin Ravindra Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox 2024 Direct signingGlenn Phillips Right-handed Right-arm off break 2025 Direct signingObus Pienaar Right-handed Left-arm off spin 2023 Justin Dill Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 2023 Ian Holland Right-handed Right-arm medium 2024 Wicket-keeperAndries Gous Right-handed 2023 Lahiru Milantha Left-handed 2024 BowlersSaurabh Netravalkar Right-handed Left-arm medium fast 2023 Jason Behrendorff 20 April 1990Right-handedLeft-arm fast 2025Direct signingLockie Ferguson Right-handed Right-arm fast 2024 Direct signingAkhilesh Bodugum Right-handed Right-arm off spin 2023 U23 playerAmila Aponso Right-handed Slow left-arm orthodox 2024 Yasir Mohammad Left-handed Legbreak Googly 2024
Standing Points table
Match summary +TeamGroup matchesPlayoffs1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Q/ECFWashington Freedom024681012121416WL Win Loss Tie No Result
Playoffs
Qualifier
Final
Statistics
Administration and support staff +Washington Freedom staffPositionNameHead coach Ricky PontingGeneral Manager Michael KlingerBowling coach Dale SteynAssistant coach Samit PatelTeam manager Andrew LynchStrength and conditioning Umar GulHigh performance analyst Zamir KhanPhysiotherapist Noor Ali Zadran References