“On Wednesday, you will now see MI New York, the Defending Champions”: Nicky Pooran
By MI New York Media
From the brink of elimination to storming into the playoffs, MI New York are reliving 2023 in their MLC 2024 journey. And the star from their must-win clash against the LA Knight Riders on Sunday (July 21), Nicholas Pooran, spoke to the media in the post-match press conference, was pumped up after playing an innings that he admits was not his usual style. Excerpts..
On the pitch and conditions
I think LAKR bowled well to me. The ball was seaming around for the pacers. They hit that 4-5 meter length. It was one of those days when it wasn’t about scoring at a strike rate of 200. We kept losing wickets at the wrong time. Just one of those days where I kept the ego aside and did what the team needed me to do, just be there.
On deciding to bat through the innings
I have been around a while now. I have played a lot of T20 cricket and made mistakes. I have been in the same situation and done the opposite. Happy to learn. For me it is all about winning cricket games. A few nights ago, in a similar situation, I played a reverse sweep, and got out. I didn’t want to make the same mistake again. It is about understanding that sometimes it is better to bat for your team than for yourself. It is good that I can strike at 150, 200, 250 sometimes. At the end of the day, what is most important is winning cricket games. And if it means batting till the end, so be it. It is my job and I have to do it.
Thoughts on debutant Rushil Ugarkar’s bowling
Polly mentioned in the beginning of the tournament, that if we wanted to go all the way, everyone would have to contribute. Happy that he got the opportunity today and I was impressed that he was ready for it. Giving him the new ball as well, against Sunil (Narine) and (Jason) Roy. He was a bit nervous, but he felt comfortable. It is all about being ready for the opportunity. He is a young guy and that is the beauty about franchise cricket, giving local players the opportunity to show their ability and talent. Really nice for him to open the bowling with Trent Boult as well and contribute for us.
Whether the campaign seems similar to 2023
In T20 cricket it is really important to get the right momentum at the right time. Last year is a perfect example, we had to work really hard to get to the final. It is now a different tournament for us. You are no longer going to see us as the team that struggled to get to the playoffs on Wednesday. You are going to see MI New York, the defending Champions. You’re going to see match-winners. You will see individuals putting their hands up and winning the game for their team. It is really good. Winning and losing is contagious. Hopefully we can get some momentum from this game and go on to win the cup this year as well.
On the team talk after losses
We keep speaking about putting your hands up and everyone contributing. Cricket is just a game, you are allowed to make mistakes. But as a group, if we want to move forward, we need to understand that we cannot keep making the same mistakes. We need to understand what is happening in the game. When guys make silly mistakes, it hurts. Obviously it is a game and so you want to put it away. When you want to win, emotions come out. Some things this season was disappointing. Guys hopefully can get the opportunity to learn and get better with themselves. Whatever happens on the park, stays on the park, and we can laugh about it now and go about with our game.
Whether Pollard’s wicket-celebration was a message to Andre Russell
No message. That celebration says it all about wanting to win this game and win moments. He got Russell out last year as well. We know how dangerous Dre (Russell) is specially in the last over in a T20 game. Polly took the responsibility to bowl the last over in the game and kept them 20 runs show. Trying to chase 150 in 18.2 overs on that wicket would have been challenging. That’s the small margins you want to win. He won that and sent the right message. We lost just one wicket in the first four overs. We had a solid powerplay and built from there.
On the approach for the playoffs
It just feels like last year all over again. To win that game, we need to be at our best. We need to win the match-ups, win the moments, make less mistakes, and the results will take care of itself once we control the processes.
On the rivalry against Texas Super Kings
Everyone knows how big that rivalry it is. In America as well, the fans come in large numbers to watch that game. Bravo and Polly have that friendship as well, on who can win more titles or games. Hopefully on Wednesday, we can bring out the best in Polly.
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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
