A three-run loss, especially from where MI New York were in the game, is always a tough one to swallow. But games come thick and fast in the Cognizant MLC, and we cannot wait to bounce back in a couple of days. Trent Boult is someone who’s won titles with all four teams in the MI family, and he knows what it takes to get on a winning role from here. Here he is, speaking at the post-match press conference. Excerpts.. Thoughts on the pitch and the groundThe pitch is rock solid. The drop in wickets are generally good wickets. With the way everything works, they need to put one beside the other, in my opinion, they both look like good wickets. But the pitch aside, the whole product, spectacle there is amazing. It is great to see some good crowds. To play in a stadium with different angles, different sizes, is very unique and exciting. On MINY suffering back-to-back run-outs Definitely played a big part in the result. I’m not going to sit here and tell the batters how to bat, but they knew the target was never out of reach. One or two good overs and you are back in the game. I thought we got the game right back in our favour. Couple of decisions made by a few players, that’s the margin in this game. We still want to keep it positive. It’s a long tournament. It’s an exciting leg and it is going to be a busy next six days. We’re going to be better off with this experience. On Monank Patel’s superb knock of 62Prime example of taking time at the start. He played fantastically to get the ball back in our court. It could have been easy to panic in that situation and try and play a big shot. I have played with him for three years and he is a talented player. I thought he played fantastically tonight. Positives to take from this gameThere’s always positives. To have to head out and get a feel of how guys like to field, how they like to bat, how they like to bowl under pressure, there are positive opportunities to grow as a team. You learn a lot more from losing. We’ll take away some good things, have a quick turnaround and be back here in a day or two. On the growth of the MLC over the last three seasonsI think the tournament is growing considerably. I was here in the first here when it was played between two venues. Similar venues last year. There’s a lot of history in these stadiums. To get out there and experience it (is special). It’s a long way up to the top there. Eden Park in New Zealand, probably similar sizes. I’ve been playing cricket for 18 years professionally, but still learning and working out things. Even I was unsure where the ball was going to go. 

We really had this in control. We should have had our two points at the end. Alas, cricket’s unpredictable nature came to the fore, and MI New York ended up just short, on the wrong side of this thriller :(Oh freak, run-outs! That 17th over…Ball 1: Daryl Mitchell to Kieron Pollard: SIXBall 2: Daryl Mitchell to Kieron Pollard: SIXBall 3: Daryl Mitchell to Kieron Pollard: FOURBall 4: Daryl Mitchell to Kieron Pollard: FOURThe equation was down to MINY now needing just 25 off 20 balls with Polly turning back the clock and having the game in complete control. Monank Patel, at the other end, was looking in serious form too with his 44-ball 62. Ball 5: Daryl Mitchell to Kieron Pollard: RUN-OUTBall 6: Daryl Mitchell to Monank Patel: RUN-OUTThe game turned. Although Tajinder Dhillon and Trent Boult kept us in the hunt with a couple of big blows, we couldn’t get over the line. The bowlers set it up, restricting TSK to 185 on a good pitchA belter of a track, small boundaries, and the MINY bowlers – after opting to bowl – can be proud of their effort to keep the Super Kings to 185. Michael Bracewell, bowling through the middle overs did well to keep things tight with a couple of wickets. Although Devon  Conway got 65, he wasn’t allowed to cut loose either. We’ll come back, the MINY way!If there’s one thing the entire MI #OneFamily universe can vouch for, it is our ability to bounce back from disappointments. This is just the start. There’s a long way ahead. And we are raring to put this behind us already.

Let’s. Get. Started. Blue vs Yellow is really something else. Two large fan bases, two teams with history that goes way back, two proud cricketing franchises. We’re all set for a red-hot start to our 2025 campaign. MI New York are here to repeat their 2023 heroics. Nicholas Pooran is all set to take over the captain’s hat. He’s coming in fresh off a dream IPL season, where he smashed over 500 runs and a record 40 sixes. He’s got fond memories of being captain, having smashed perhaps his best T20 innings – 137* - in our season-winning final. We also have a bit of avenging to take care of. TSK were the team that ended our 2024 season in the playoffs. It’s time to put that behind us and what better way to kickstart 2025 than with a W against them in the first game itself.  What: MI New York vs Texas Super Kings When: June 13, 2025 (18:00 local time) | June 14, 2025 (06:30 IST)Where: Oakland Coliseum, CAWhat to expect: What’s new is the venue – the Oakland Coliseum, a baseball stadium with a drop-in pitch. The dimensions, the conditions, are all set to be a surprise. And that’s what makes it all the more exciting.