MINYvSFU report: Pollard smashes, David tonks, but 216-run target too steep
By MI New York Media
A minor blip, nothing more. A high-scoring encounter, and our batters really tried, but alas, coming close wasn’t enough. We started off in style with the ball, finished in style with the bat, but in those middle overs, lost our way a bit.
The Polly show
Oh we know how much we’ve missed these. Although the asking rate was touching 15rpo, there was hope. In fact there was more than hope, there was the belief that Pollard would take us over. He’s spoilt us over the years in the IPL with his takedown of bowlers. Walking in at 64/3 in the ninth over, he didn’t have much of a choice. Time wasn’t a luxury. Ah, he didn’t need it. He started off his rampage right from the start – four fours, two sixes, in a 27-ball 48.
Tim, Tim!
It started off as a support act to Polly. 1 off 4. 7 off 9. 13 off 13. But after the skipper fell in the 18th over, David just went into beast mode. 60 runs were needed off the final two overs, Haris Rauf was bowling the 19th, and he was in for some special treatment. Two massive sixes and a flat one-bounced four into deep mid-wicket, before tonking another couple of maximums against Marcus Stoinis in the final over.
A dream start
It indeed was the perfect start we could have hoped for. After the Unicorns opted to bat first, our bowlers had them on the mat at 22/3, with Rabada and Boult combining to send their top three in Finn Allen, Matthew Wade and Stoinis back. Their skipper, Aaron Finch, didn’t last long either. It soon became 50/4. However, sadly, a rearguard came. Corey Anderson and Shadab Khan didn’t just rebuild. They counter-attacked, and how. 91 off 52 for the former. 61 off 30 for the latter. And together, they’d taken SFU to a whopping 215-run score.
Again, just to reiterate, this is just the beginning. In a short tournament such as this, matches come thick and fast, and we need to ensure we brush this off and get on the winning horse. We know the MI spirit. We know the MI brand of cricket. In Polly and Co., we trust fully. Against LA Knight Riders in less than 48 hours, we will be back. OH, WE WILL BE BACK.
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“The best in our batting is yet come to come”: Nicholas Pooran
Two wins in three games from the LA leg. On some tough batting wickets, MI New York showed a lot of fight and character. As we head back to Dallas for the last three league games with a mission to qualify for the playoffs, skipper, Nicholas Pooran believes the peak is still to come.“The next week is going to be really important, with the final three games in Dallas. This week was really important for us and we're leaving LA with two wins from three games. As a captain, we're really happy and we'll continue to build,” he said on the back of the loss to San Francisco Unicorns. “Our batting has been improving, we'll keep fighting, and I believe the best is yet to come.”One of the bright spots in the game was Tristan Luus, whose late contribution with the bat (12) and a 2/21 with the ball kept MINY in the hunt. At the post-match press conference, he spoke about bouncing back from such games. “I think there is a lot of teams that have bad games and bad days. It’s all about the bounce back. We have a good team and we are still in a good position in this tournament. We just need to regroup, have a good conversation about this game and then from there basically don’t try to think about this game.”There’s an instant redemption on offer as both these teams clash once again in Texas in two days. With just two points separating the top-ranked and the bottom-ranked team on the table, this sure is heating up! 07 Jul, 2026SFUvMINY report: Arghhh, not quite the perfect end to the LA leg :(
It wasn’t our day. On the wrong side of the toss and put in to bat when the pitch was sticky, the MI New York batters just couldn’t get going. Undone by some sharp bowling, it was a late effort from the tail that got us past 100, and then our seamers tried hard too, but with the ball skidding on under lights and the advantage of chasing a smallish target, it wasn’t to be. Pooran tries infusing momentum, but MINY wobbleEvery match, we’ve had someone step up, play the anchor, and bat through. It looked like Nicholas Pooran would be that guy tonight, looking good with four fours in his 19-ball 20, as the rest of the top-order fell around him. But he too fell in the seventh over. It wasn’t a day for Kieron Pollard’s heroics either as the team collapse to 65/7 in the 15th over. Bosch, Luus and a late-order resurgence Corbin Bosch: 22(21)Tristan Luus: 12(14)And thanks to this 30-run stand for the eighth wicket to get the team up to 104, MINY had something to play around with. A sliver of hope. What a debut, Faisal! Debuts just don’t get any sweeter. Opening the bowling, off the first legal ball of his career, he cleaned up the dangerous Lhuan-dre Pretorius. And then followed up next over with a sharp bouncer that got big on Finn Allen, who could only miscue it as far as mid-on. With Tristan Luus and Tajinder Dhillon chipping in, at 66/4, there was slight hope of a special Blue and Gold defence, but alas, Matthew Short and Sanjay Krishnamurthi kept going and saw the Unicorns home. Chip up Fam, we’ve played some special cricket over the last three games to sustain the kind of run we did. As we head back to Texas for our final league leg with the playoffs berth beckoning, this is the time to not lose steam. We have an instant opportunity with the reverse fixture coming up in the very next game to set things right.. 06 Jul, 2026Match 7 | SFUvMINY preview: Writing our legacy as the table-toppers!
It’s a lovely WWWinning streak we are a part of here. We’re also loving the Big Apple feeling in Tinseltown. This is our opportunity to close this Los Angeles leg as the table toppers! From a Pollard century, to a Pollard final over defence, to a Pollard blitz, it’s safe to say this has been a season with our big man’s stamp firmly on it. While he’s been a constant, every match has seen a new hero emerge. Another win here should put one foot into the playoffs territory. Let’s storm our WWWWay through! What: San Francisco Unicorns vs MI New York When: July 5, 2026 | 6:30pm local time (July 6, 7:00am IST)Where: Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona What to expect: Apart from that one game where MINY won a low-scoring thriller by defending a total against the Seattle Orcas, this has been a chasing ground. In fact, this has largely been a chasing tournament. While it has become more batting friendly, it still promises to be another nail-biter. 05 Jul, 2026
