This is the second of a two-part guest post series by the co-owners of the San Francisco Unicorns, Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan – Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists – on their franchise ownership journey. If you missed part one, focused on how they brought their startup knowledge to building the franchise, be sure to check it out. In this piece, the owners talk about their remarkable turnaround between Season 1 and 2 and the approach that delivered it.
In any startup, the period after initial launch is about learning rapidly. Then it becomes about iterating, adapting, understanding the landscape, and positioning for long-term success. That was exactly the mindset we took when we approached the second season of Major League Cricket (MLC). Year one was a whirlwind, but year two was our opportunity to refine, optimize, and build a franchise with a strong foundation for years to come.
Lessons from year one: building a smarter, more strategic roster
Our inaugural season was a rapid sprint to get a team on the field. The reality was that we didn’t have much time, and like any early-stage startup, we had to work with what was available. The player selection process was largely dictated by availability rather than a meticulous, long-term strategy. That’s not to say we didn’t land some great players, but it wasn’t yet a cohesive, well-balanced unit designed with a clear identity.
Heading into our second season, we took a deliberate and data-driven approach. We asked ourselves: What is our philosophy? How do we build a franchise that can win consistently over time? The answer lay in Silicon Valley itself. In tech, we’re great at identifying early-stage startups that have the potential to be unicorns of the future. We decided to apply that same philosophy to our team-building approach.
We wanted to construct a core unit of young, talented players who weren’t necessarily household names yet but had the potential to be future superstars. We wanted to be the franchise that identifies and nurtures talent before the rest of the world catches on. This strategy led us to sign players like Matthew Short, Fraser McGurk, Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Hassan Khan, and Finn Allen—guys who aren’t yet global superstars but are knocking on the door.
Of course, great teams are a blend of youth and experience. That’s why we added established stars like Pat Cummins and Josh Inglis—players who not only bring world-class ability but also elevate the team’s culture and professionalism.
Developing talent: investing in our players
One of the biggest differentiators in our approach was not just selecting the right players but investing in their development. Identifying talent is one thing; nurturing it is another.
A prime example is Sanjay Krishnamurthy, a local Bay Area cricketer who we originally picked in the inaugural draft as an under-20 selection. In the first season, he wasn’t necessarily a standout name, but our coaching staff saw his potential. We committed to his development, sending him to Australia for specialized training. He played in domestic tournaments there, worked with high-performance coaches, and followed a strict fitness regimen tailored to improve his power-hitting ability.
Sanjay credits that program for his massive strides in the second season, particularly his ability to clear the boundary with ease. We were excited to see him not only get called up again to the USA Senior team, but deliver strong performances at the international level.
This is the type of long-term player development model we are embedding into the DNA of our franchise. We don’t just want to sign good players; we want to build them.
We have continued this into our preparations for the third season. We picked up Hammad Azam and Achilles Browne, two talented players we are extremely excited about.
The Pat Cummins Factor: a leader who elevates the entire team
Every great team needs leadership. Going into season two, we knew we needed a captain with experience and a winning mentality. That’s when Venky said, Why not Pat Cummins?
At first, it seemed like a long shot. Pat Cummins is one of the best cricketers in the world and had never played in MLC before. But we reached out anyway. What we didn’t realize at the time was that Pat already had a connection to one of our minority investors, Devesh Makan, who runs the Iconiq fund in Silicon Valley. That relationship helped open the door, but what really sold Pat was the opportunity to be part of something bigger than just another T20 league.
Pat wasn’t just interested in playing cricket; he was interested in Silicon Valley. He wanted to learn about startups, innovation, and investing. In a way, he saw himself as an entrepreneur who happens to play cricket, much like how Kevin Durant was drawn to the Golden State Warriors not just for basketball but to immerse himself in the Bay Area’s business ecosystem. That alignment made the deal happen.
His presence transformed the team. It wasn’t just his on-field contributions—it was the way he carried himself, the way he elevated everyone around him. When Pat was in the squad, the players walked differently, carried themselves differently. There was a palpable sense that they were playing at a different level.
The Shane Watson Effect: a bet on coaching that paid off
Another major shift between seasons one and two was in coaching. When we first hired Shane Watson, we knew we were making a bet. Shane is a legend as a player, but coaching was a new venture for him. His first-ever coaching stint was with us in MLC, and we saw him evolve rapidly between the first and second seasons, including as a result of his time as the head coach of the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL.
Shane’s approach is heavily influenced by his work with a sports psychologist in North Carolina, Jaques Dallaire, back when he was a player and Shane credits this knowledge for his late-career string of successes.
Shane has translated that mental skills framework into not only a best-selling book and a course, but into his overall coaching philosophy. That resonated with us immediately. It just so happened that the same psychologist Shane worked with, Dr. Dallaire, was also working with Venky’s son. That connection made it even more real, and we completely bought into Shane’s vision.
By the second season, you could see the impact of Shane’s growth on our team. He embraced data-driven decision-making, something that was critical to our strategy. He adapted, he refined his methods, and he brought out the best in our players. His presence was a key part of why we went from a fifth-place finish to a finals appearance in just one season.
Culture, Simplicity, and a Long-Term Vision
At the core of our optimization from season one to season two was our commitment to simplicity and culture. In any startup, complexity is the enemy. We deliberately avoided unnecessary complications, choosing instead to focus on hiring great people and letting them do their jobs.
From our partnership with Cricket Victoria, where Graham Manou and Nick Cummins helped shape our high-performance strategy, to the way we empowered our players and staff to take ownership of the team’s identity, every decision was about building a sustainable franchise.
We are not here just to compete for a season or two—we are here to build a legacy. The changes we made from season one to season two are only the beginning. Just as in any great startup, continuous iteration and improvement are the keys to success. And as we move forward, the goal remains the same: to build a team that embodies the spirit of Silicon Valley, unearths the stars of tomorrow, and redefines what cricket can be in the United States.
