“A similar journey in the first season too, it’s about peaking at the right time”: Pooran
By MI New York Media
Nicholas Pooran knows a thing or two about winning championships. It was his epic 137* that saw MI New York lift the Cognizant MLC title in 2023. He’s back in familiar territory, and he’s on a mission to bring home another piece of silverware. Excerpts from his pre-match press conference..
On MI New York making it to the final
It’s definitely been an interesting journey. Qualifying with three wins has been a challenge but T20 cricket is all about peaking at the right time. For a group, we are very optimistic of our chances. We knew if we qualified, it was a different tournament for us. We are just gathering momentum at the right time.
On the team never giving up hope
It’s just something about the franchise. We expect to win every competition and game. It’s a tough place to be in. There is a lot of pressure. But in the dressing room that belief matters. When everyone is going through with the right energy, anything is possible. Like we saw in the first year, we had a similar journey in the MLC. A lot of players don’t have that experience but thankfully we have a lot of guys in the dressing room who have knowledge as well. We share that energy. Obviously in the big moments, the senior players rise to the occasion as well. It is most important for any team.
On playing cricket in the USA
For me it’s just the environment, it is refreshing. My family is out here as well. It is a nice vacation for them as well. They support me and have a good time. Because cricket is happening here in the US, it is closer to the Caribbean. They try to enjoy the sport. The tournament went to Miami as well this year and with the support it felt like home. It is closer to home for me, so loving the opportunity.
The bond he shares with Kieron Pollard
Yeah he’s been my mentor. We share conversations everyday about cricket on how to get better. But the journey this year was one of the toughest challenges we had. We lost some players early in the tournament and some players didn’t turn up. It’s been difficult. It’s one that came down to doing your job as a batsman first and then figuring out on how to win games. It was a challenge to get everyone playing together. It’s a tough experience. You have to kind of manage all these emotions, the highs and lows, the expectations of the local players as well. One thing we continue speaking about is, ‘let’s continue to do our job’. This is for everyone, from the coaching staffs to the players. When we look back that is what we did. The coach managed that really well. It’s been challenging. It’s not a nice place to be in when you are losing games. He did a really nice job in managing everyone.
Where the campaign turned around for MINY
The moment for us was Trent Boult’s innings. Credit must be given to him, he gave us a chance in this tournament.
On the local USA players stepping up
The scouts have done exceptionally well in identifying talent. Monank has been there since the beginning. In the first two years, he didn’t get the returns he wanted but this year, he has been our standout performer throughout the tournament. His leadership as well. He is the captain of the USA team. He speaks the language of the locals. You can lean on him to get through to the other guys. As overseas players, our responsibility is to share our knowledge and experience. We have some banter at the back of the bus with the local players when they messed up, just to make a joke about it. The coach always says, ‘people in China don’t care whether e win or lose’. We are going to wake up tomorrow and see another day and play another game of cricket. It’s okay to make mistakes, you just don’t want to make it often. It’s our job to have these players grow as well. It’s nice to see the local players getting the opportunity and having an impact as well. It is only going to help USA cricket. You saw in the World Cup as well when they pull off some upsets. Really good to see the franchise giving these players the responsibility and the opportunity.
On Rushil Ugarkar coming to the party
Rushil has been with us for a few years and it is really nice to see how he has grown. He didn’t start off in the tournament but it is nice to see that you can call someone on the bench. Big kudos to him. He is definitely going in the right direction, not just for us but for himself and for USA cricket. If he pays attention to detail, he’ll become better. He wants to bowl in the tough situations. We have to support him and try to get him better.
On what he sees as personal success in this tournament
For me it’s not about being a captain, it’s about being a leader. I love seeing other people succeed. I want to play a role, whether that is a supporting role or sharing some advice, I want to see people doing well. It is important for me to be a good human being as well. These guys come from different backgrounds. If I can help in any way I can, I would love to. It is really nice to see these guys take in some advice. I try my best, be the best version of myself. If it means putting a smile on someone’s face, I do so.
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“It’s a tough pill to swallow”
It’s never easy knowing 266 wasn’t enough on the day. A record 29 sixes were hit by MI New York – the most ever in a T20 innings. On nights like these when lightning strikes twice, you don’t fight the powers. You just accept it wasn’t out night.“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” said Mark Boucher at the post-match press conference. “I think this ground is very small. In the beginning stages of the tournament, the wickets weren’t as good as they are now. It made bowling extremely tough. The dew factor at the backend of the game made bowling extremely tough for the bowlers and the fielders. But in saying that, we had our chances. If we had taken those chances, we could have built a bit of pressure. We knew when we scored our total, on a pitch that is good and small boundaries, if there was one team that could chase this down, it was these guys.”MI New York’s MLC 2026 campaign might have come to an end, but it was eventful and certainly memorable. We gained momentum and peaked at the right time, with all parts of the puzzle seemingly falling in place. “The one area where we’ve struggled throughout the tournament has been our batting. We haven’t got any flow in our batting in the tournament. Coming into the game today, even though we lost the last game, I thought there was something going there. Nicky’s (Pooran) knock was fantastic. Quinny (de Kock) got us off to a good start as well. Polly coming in. We put on a really good score and our batters did really well. In the middle stages of the tournament, our bowlers really kept us in the tournament,” he said. Whether it was Kieron Pollard pulling out matches from the dead, something he’s done for the Blue and Gold for over 17 years now, or whether it was Tajinder Dhillon’s cameos, or Rushil Ugarkar’s large-hearted bowling, Quinton de Kock’s typically Quinny-like starts, or a record-breaking final flourish, there certainly has been enough for us to celebrate. Let’s give it some time. When the disappointment withers, what will remain is pride, the pride we have in this side. This is MI city, this is MI team, we are MI New York. 17 Jul, 2026Celebrating a 106(33), that is enough on most days…
…Sadly, this wasn’t one of those. But when the dust settles and the disappointment of seeing a massive total being overhauled dies down, we’ll the pride in this MONSTER NICHOLAS POORAN knock. He loves these knockout games in the MLC, doesn’t he! Against the Washington Freedom in the Eliminator, he wasted no time settling in. The first ball was a single. Ball 2: SIXBall 3: SIXBall 4: SIXBall 5: FOURThis was followed by another 6, 4, 0, 6, 6, 6 to bring up his fifty off just 14 balls. None of them were mishits in any sense. Reading the bowling to perfection, he was happy to step out and go over long-off, pull away the short stuff, tonk them down the ground, cut them through point. Just peak, beast mode. He wasn’t backing down. Against Nikhil Chaudhary’s off-spin, he kept the fifth gear going. 6, 4, 1, 0, 4, 6, 4, 6 across two overs, and he had the fastest MLC century, off just 31 balls. He fell immediately after. All this inside the 12th over. Sheer madness was on display. Again, it might get forgotten given what happened in the second innings and how Washington chased down a mammoth total, but it was a knock for the ages nevertheless. Nicky P has added another feather that sits alongside his iconic 137* from 2023!16 Jul, 2026The Eliminator report: Crazy game, but ends in heartbreak :(
266 runs chased down. 51 sixes hit in the game. It’s probably a once in a lifetime moment, and the partnership of 241 runs in just 89 balls between Steven Smith and Andries Gous was again one of those, seen now, might never be seen again moments. Alas, it came against us in the Eliminator. A crazy game, but on the wrong side of the result.. Nicholas Pooran: 106 (33)“It wasn’t meant to be,” our skipper said at the post-match presentation. But his knock deserves all the appreciation. Five fours, 13 sixes, and a century off just 31 balls. It was peak Nicky P. Beast Nicky P. He was just unstoppable, smashing everything around for fun. Imagine a 24-ball 51 by Quinton de Kock felt like second fiddle! And then Polly goes wild!Pooran came, smashed, and was done by the 12th over. Kieron Pollard took it upon himself to carry the baton forward. With a 25-ball 64, he kept the shots coming, the sixes flowing, and ensured MINY finished strong. The final 266/9 came via Trent Boult and his 10-ball 22. That Smith-Gous stand On most days, a target of 267 is daunting enough. But lightning struck twice, first in the form of Pooran’s brilliant century, and then with Gous’ 51-ball 132 and Smith’s 48-ball 110. They rode their luck, but it just felt written in the stars. Ruing the missed chances 9.4: Smith gets a life 10.1: Smith gets put down again 10.6: Now Gous is dropped11.5: Both the bowler and the keeper miss a run-out chance In 13 balls, with four chances gone down, the signs were clear. It simply wasn’t our day. The batters then switched gears and went on a rampage, with 29 runs coming off the 13th over, 21 off the 14th and 31 off the 15th, virtually killing the game. This is where it ends. 2026 wasn’t to be. It’s a tough one to swallow. But once the dust settles, we’ll look back at how heartwarming this season has been with new heroes stepping up, older ones turning back the clock, and wins pulled off from nowhere. 15 Jul, 2026
