22 Jul, 2024

“On Wednesday, you will now see MI New York, the Defending Champions”: Nicky Pooran

By MI New York Media
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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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19 Jul, 2025

“We are shaping a global brand powered by passion, excellence, and the unifying spirit of sport”: Mrs. Nita M. Ambani

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16 Jul, 2025

Rushil Ugarkar, manifesting bowling the Malinga way

You know you’ve pulled off a heist when you’ve managed to defend 12 off the final over of a T20. The heist becomes even more epic when it happens to be with Glenn Maxwell and Glenn Phillips at the crease. The epic becomes legendary when the context is that of a League Final. This is Rushil Ugarkar, the 22-year-old right-arm pacer. He’s uncapped in the international scene. But that’s not stopping him from wanting to bowl the tough overs. That’s not stopping him from stepping up and grabbing the role of MI New York’s designated death overs specialist in the 2025 season of the MLC. Hardened in the Mumbai Indians camp as a support player during IPL 2025, Ugarkar found the slingy wings of the master, Lasith Malinga, the team’s Bowling Coach, who was also MINY’s Bowling Coach in 2024. “I spent a lot of time with Malinga in the previous year as well. We worked a lot on my death bowling. Being in situations which are high pressure, doing those sessions paid off today,” he says in a chat with MINY after his incredible heist of nailing the 20th over to get MINY over the line in the MLC Final. “I noticed couple of things in his training routines. Every time he goes to a net session before a game, he kind of manifests how he’s going to bowl to each player and how he’s going to get them out. That’s something I wanted to add to my game as well. Before every game at the practice sessions, I would do that as well,” he added.Rushil had a pretty tough initiation to the MLC this year. He bowled the 19th over against the Washington Freedom in the league stage, defending 17 off 12, and was at the receiving end of Mark Chapman’s back-to-back boundaries that saw the match go past MINY’s reach. He impressed immediately in the following game against the Seattle Orcas, where he managed to keep Shimron Hetmyer quiet, conceding just three runs in the 17th over, and a miserly 29 runs in his four overs.It was the game against the Texas Super Kings where he faced his sternest test. Donovan Ferreira smashed him for a couple of sixes off the first two balls of the last over of the innings. Rushil, in trying to get defensive, went wide outside off, but in the process, went way past the tramline five balls in a row. To come back from that and produce a gem of a final over in the Final tells you about his character. You need some serious nerves of steel. “The entire squad has been really supportive,” Rushil said. “They have backed me all through. Even after getting hit, they kept me in the team and just kept giving me confidence and telling me ‘you got this, keep giving your 100% every ball’.”The redemption arc is complete. A star is unearthed. Rushil is here to stay. And conquer! 
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15 Jul, 2025

MI #OneFamily in 2025: Five playoffs, THREE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES across three continents

2025 has been special. Five teams. Five playoffs. A champion in all three continents – Asia, Africa, America. Winning in the Mumbai Indians #OneFamily. We have added another star to our crest. Our Blue has some more Gold. It’s another epic day in our history with MI New York scripting history in the USA and winning their second MLC title. It’s a day to celebrate. In fact, it’s been a year on the whole to celebrate. MI Emirates were the first to make it to the playoffs. MI Cape Town went a step further in what was an absolutely dominant SA20 campaign to bag their first title. The Mumbai Indians Women then took the baton and marched towards their second championship win in the WPL. The men then fought a stellar campaign, coming back after losing four of their first five matches in the IPL to go on a seven-match winning run and break open the playoffs door. Although it ended in the second Qualifier, it was a campaign for us to be proud of. And finally, the boys in America have capped off the year on a high. They went a step further, peaking at just the right time, having won just one out of the first seven league games, to go on an unstoppable roll, bringing home our 13th piece of silverware in our rich history. 5 – IPL (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) | Mumbai Indians2 – CLT20 (2011, 2013) | Mumbai Indians2 – WPL (2023, 2025) | Mumbai Indians2 – MLC (2023, 2025) | MI New York1 – ILT20 (2024) | MI Emirates1 – SA20 (2025) | MI Cape Town Fam, let’s pop the champagne! 

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