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?
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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
