MINYvWF report: “Another 10-15 runs could’ve been the difference”, Pooran rues another thriller that goes against us
By MI New York Media
Arghhhh. Just not the result you want against your game after giving a fight as proper as this. Let’s face it, the Washington Freedom were favorites to win the game with the asking rate always being in their favor. But the way the MI New York bowlers fought, stitching in the dot balls, hitting back with wickets, we really had hope. Alas..
The comeback from 20 being needed off 24
Washington needed 20 off 24 balls. The game seemed done. They were romping home. Not so easily when you have MINY at the other end though! Naveen-ul-Haq, on a mission after the previous game to rectify his death bowling, produced an absolute beauty of an over – picking the wicket of Obus Pienaar and conceding just two runs. Trent Boult did better in the next, giving away just one run. Suddenly, the equation was at 17 being needed off 12. Alas, it wasn’t to be as Mark Chapman killed the game with a couple of boundaries.
Another day, another Monank special
He continues his dream run: 62, 20, 93 and now a 20-ball 32, setting the tone in the powerplay to get MINY off to another solid start. Quinton de Kock found his groove as well, smashing a 34-ball 55, studded with seven fours and two sixes to lay the platform for a big total. Although Michael Bracewell produced a 24-ball 42, the final explosion to get us past 200 didn’t quite come from the others as MINY had to settle for 188/4 in their 20 overs.
The Sunny Patel-styled fight
He began with the wicket of Andries Gous in the powerplay, but it his wicket of the big fish – Mitchell Owen – who was on a rampage to get 62 off just 26 balls, that brought us back in the game in the first place. His change-ups in pace along with a bunch of variations have been quite handy all season.
Sadly, with cameos from Glenn Maxwell, Jack Edwards and Mark Chapman, the Washington Freedom got home in the final over. Let’s not get too disheartened, folks. We’re still in the first half of the league here. There’s enough positives for us to know that it is only a matter of time before the tide turns. And when it does, we’ll make sure it’s a tsunami!
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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
