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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“The best in our batting is yet come to come”: Nicholas Pooran
Two wins in three games from the LA leg. On some tough batting wickets, MI New York showed a lot of fight and character. As we head back to Dallas for the last three league games with a mission to qualify for the playoffs, skipper, Nicholas Pooran believes the peak is still to come.“The next week is going to be really important, with the final three games in Dallas. This week was really important for us and we're leaving LA with two wins from three games. As a captain, we're really happy and we'll continue to build,” he said on the back of the loss to San Francisco Unicorns. “Our batting has been improving, we'll keep fighting, and I believe the best is yet to come.”One of the bright spots in the game was Tristan Luus, whose late contribution with the bat (12) and a 2/21 with the ball kept MINY in the hunt. At the post-match press conference, he spoke about bouncing back from such games. “I think there is a lot of teams that have bad games and bad days. It’s all about the bounce back. We have a good team and we are still in a good position in this tournament. We just need to regroup, have a good conversation about this game and then from there basically don’t try to think about this game.”There’s an instant redemption on offer as both these teams clash once again in Texas in two days. With just two points separating the top-ranked and the bottom-ranked team on the table, this sure is heating up! 07 Jul, 2026SFUvMINY report: Arghhh, not quite the perfect end to the LA leg :(
It wasn’t our day. On the wrong side of the toss and put in to bat when the pitch was sticky, the MI New York batters just couldn’t get going. Undone by some sharp bowling, it was a late effort from the tail that got us past 100, and then our seamers tried hard too, but with the ball skidding on under lights and the advantage of chasing a smallish target, it wasn’t to be. Pooran tries infusing momentum, but MINY wobbleEvery match, we’ve had someone step up, play the anchor, and bat through. It looked like Nicholas Pooran would be that guy tonight, looking good with four fours in his 19-ball 20, as the rest of the top-order fell around him. But he too fell in the seventh over. It wasn’t a day for Kieron Pollard’s heroics either as the team collapse to 65/7 in the 15th over. Bosch, Luus and a late-order resurgence Corbin Bosch: 22(21)Tristan Luus: 12(14)And thanks to this 30-run stand for the eighth wicket to get the team up to 104, MINY had something to play around with. A sliver of hope. What a debut, Faisal! Debuts just don’t get any sweeter. Opening the bowling, off the first legal ball of his career, he cleaned up the dangerous Lhuan-dre Pretorius. And then followed up next over with a sharp bouncer that got big on Finn Allen, who could only miscue it as far as mid-on. With Tristan Luus and Tajinder Dhillon chipping in, at 66/4, there was slight hope of a special Blue and Gold defence, but alas, Matthew Short and Sanjay Krishnamurthi kept going and saw the Unicorns home. Chip up Fam, we’ve played some special cricket over the last three games to sustain the kind of run we did. As we head back to Texas for our final league leg with the playoffs berth beckoning, this is the time to not lose steam. We have an instant opportunity with the reverse fixture coming up in the very next game to set things right.. 06 Jul, 2026Match 7 | SFUvMINY preview: Writing our legacy as the table-toppers!
It’s a lovely WWWinning streak we are a part of here. We’re also loving the Big Apple feeling in Tinseltown. This is our opportunity to close this Los Angeles leg as the table toppers! From a Pollard century, to a Pollard final over defence, to a Pollard blitz, it’s safe to say this has been a season with our big man’s stamp firmly on it. While he’s been a constant, every match has seen a new hero emerge. Another win here should put one foot into the playoffs territory. Let’s storm our WWWWay through! What: San Francisco Unicorns vs MI New York When: July 5, 2026 | 6:30pm local time (July 6, 7:00am IST)Where: Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona What to expect: Apart from that one game where MINY won a low-scoring thriller by defending a total against the Seattle Orcas, this has been a chasing ground. In fact, this has largely been a chasing tournament. While it has become more batting friendly, it still promises to be another nail-biter. 05 Jul, 2026
