Relive MI New York’s road to the MLC 2023 play-offs
By MI New York Media
It’s been a solid ten-day roller-coaster. MI New York has seen it all: thumping wins, brutal batting performances, opening bursts with the new ball, death overs masterclasses, close finishes, heartbreaks, everything!
And we are into the first eliminator as the caravan heads back to Dallas, Texas. As we build up to it, let’s relive the five games thus far ..
On the wrong side of the result in a high-scoring thriller vs San Francisco Unicorns
After having the opposition well under control at 50/4, we let them off the off, thanks to a 129-run stand between Corey Anderson and Shadab Khan that took them to solid total of 215 in their 20 overs. MI NY started off slowly, but our finishers-supreme in Tim David and skipper Kieron Pollard went on a rampage towards the end, but alas, fell 22 runs short.
More OneFaMIly dominance vs the Knight Riders
A proper one-sided finish to stamp our first win. After setting the LA Knight Riders a target of 156 to win, thanks to Tim David (48 off 21) once again providing the burst at the death and Nicholas Pooran anchoring the innings, Nosthush Kenjige, our domestic star, triggered the collapse by trapping in his LBW flair off the very third ball. And then it was a procession, with all our five bowlers claiming two wickets each as LAKR were shot out for 50 in just 13.5 overs.
A heartbreak in the next El Clasico vs Texas Super Kings
Having restricted TSK to a pretty modest total of 154, thanks primarily to Kagiso Rabada’s early and then Trent Boult’s late strikes, our batting didn’t get off to the best of starts. Shayan Jahangir did his best to try and play through the innings, but despite quick cameos from the ever-reliable Nicholas Pooran (19 off 15) and the ever-ready-to-finish-games Tim David (24 off 19), we just couldn’t get going, ending up losing by 17 runs.
A positive shift to Morrisville gets top-order firing vs Washington Freedom
The change in location brought us good luck and a new-found motivation for the game. Morrisville saw the smashes and the sharp wickets that MI NY had in store for us. Our domestic players Shayan Jahangir and Monank Patel brought their A-game to slam a solid 65 runs in the powerplay. Polly showed us his skills, never a boring moment with him, as he finished the game early with 27 runs to spare. We were back on track and ready for our final fight.
Denied the top of the table spot by a rampaging Klaasen vs Seattle Orcas
With a play-off spot almost certain thanks to our super NRR, we entered the final match for MLC 2023 against the Orcas. With 7 smashing sixes and 3 stunning fours Pooran made us proud with his 68 of 34 balls as MI NY put up a strong 194/8 on what has been a chasing wicket. Although Heinrich Klaasen kept Seattle’s asking rate in check in the chase, which included a 26-run over against Rashid Khan, it was Boult’s spell that nearly swung it back in our kitty. In a three-run, three-wicket 19th over, he was just unplayable. Sadly, Klaasen was in the mood, got to his century, got his side home, and we had to settle for the fourth spot.
Right then, we have three games in our radar, each one a must-win, each one where Polly and Co. will bring their ruthless attitude to the fore. The MI Family knows to win, and let’s aim to get the maiden MLC in our kitty too, shall we?
