Match 1 Preview | MINYvSFU: Pollard vs Finch battle to kick things off
By MI New York Media
An American cricketing revolution, the rise of a new dawn, a sold-out opening game, lots of anticipatory buzz on the streets. That’s enough buildup. It’s time to hit the ground. It’s time to put on that Blue and Gold!
“Winning mentality”
Over the last 16 years, through five IPL titles, through two CLT20 wins, the WPL title in our maiden season, the inaugural editions of the SA20 and the ILT20, there was one common thread – we play to win. With MI New York now at the cusp of opening itself to the world, this is one thing our skipper, our legend, Kieron Pollard, couldn’t stress on more.
“Domestic players most important in franchise cricket”
The MLC has a rule of having a minimum of five USA players in the XI, and MI NY has five capped players in our squad to fill up these slots. Pollard said scouting domestic talent was something that made the MI franchise stand out historically. The first USA-born player to be picked up in the Draft this year was by MI New York, in the form of Steven Taylor.
Right then, Aaron Finch’s San Francisco Unicorns are our first hurdle to clear. With the likes of Lungi Ngidi, Haris Rauf, Liam Plunkett and Qais Ahmed in their squad, they are one proper potent bowling unit. But don’t be worried. The no-look hitter in Dewald Brevis, the hottest finisher in town, Tim David, the leftie dynamo, Nicholas Pooran, and obviously, the calm head and massive sixes of Kieron Pollard, are just the challenge they’d be trying to avoid.
What: MI New York vs San Francisco Unicorns
When: 14th July 3:30 PM CDT, 02:00 AM IST (15th July)
Where: Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas
What to expect: Small boundaries, a lightning quick outfield, a flat deck with lots of runs. Still, trust Trent Boult to find swing, trust Kagiso Rabada to find bounce, and trust Rashid Khan to bamboozle batters left, right and center.
What you need to do: Let’s tell you the drill: put on your blue, bring out your cheering partners, and shout your lungs our to show your love and support!
What they said: “Words cannot describe the connection with the MI franchise. The brand believes in the winning mentality and that is what I have put in myself. It was match made in heaven. It has reaped the awards of winning championships. Now this is a time of transition to help others achieve this level of greatness and I am happy that I am in a position now to influence that change.” – Kieron Pollard, skipper MI New York
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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
