WELCOME THE INAUGURAL MLC CHAMPIONS – MI NEW YORK
By MI New York Media
It’s coming home. It’s time to rub some more Gold onto our Blue. The party has begun. DO NOT STAY CALM. Shout, celebrate, jump. After all, we are the Champions. And it’s been sealed courtesy an absolutely stunning once-in-a-lifetime captain’s masterclass!
There are dominant knocks, there are moments of glory achieved under pressure, but what we’ve witnessed tonight at Dallas was just out of the world stuff. Dangerous is an understatement. Nicholas Pooran, MI New York’s skipper, on the big night, was just murderous! Chasing a pretty daunting 184 to win, he walked out in the first over. And over the next 55 balls he faced, nobody was spared- as he put up a show of the highest order. 10 fours | 13 sixes | 137 runs, to see us home with four overs to spare. Yep, whodathunk!
So as we celebrate, and as the teams gears up to lift the trophy, here’s let’s read what some of our boys said out on the field, and what this means to them on a sideline chat with the league ..
Kieron Pollard: No more rivalry (with DJ Bravo whom he was texting).I am just telling him, “I'm coming to catch you”. Looking forward to play with him in the CPL. Very special. Congratulations and kudos to the guys on the cricket field. They took the team from the Eliminator to the final. The way we won today, I couldn't be more proud. (On Pooran) Very special, this is something that's been brewing for some time. Sometimes it hurts me not to see him much in the international arena. He's a talent and he's someone that we need in the Caribbean. Congratulations to him, congratulations to the team, the support staff and the entire MI family. It's about belief, and the never say die attitude that we have. We believe in our players and that augurs well for us. I have been part of all the trophy wins. Even WPL, I was there for the final. We are going to raise the bar in franchise cricket. Thanking you (fans) for coming out and supporting today. This was the home ground of TSK but we painted it blue today. They were fantastic throughout the tournament. Hopefully we can see you all next year as well.
Rashid Khan: I had only three hours to get here (to this tournament) and get ready. It means a lot to me, being a part of this family for the last two years in South Africa, Emirates and here as well. Started with a trophy here. Special, first edition of this league and winning this is special. First trophy with MI family. Will enjoy these beautiful moments.
Kagiso Rabada: Great to win in the inaugural year of MLC. Very stoked, that was an unbelievable game. Good to see Nicky P playing the way that he is. There was no way to get him out tonight, he was incredible. That was probably close to the innings of his life. He was also facing good bowlers too. It wasn't an easy game. That was unbelievable to witness.
Nosthush Kenjige: I couldn't have asked for anything more. The way we finished it today, the last three games - it's been do-or-die. We have shown our character. Today it was just Nicky P show. Some of the shots he hit, I don't think I have watched anybody hit the way that he did. It was a pleasure watching him. The last three weeks, just to have them all in the dressing room - be it Malinga, Rashid Khan, Boult, Rabada - it's been incredible. Trying to learn as much as I can.
Trent Boult: There's no secret. In finals cricket, it's all about enjoying. Going out there and try to do the job. What a great way to finish the tournament. To see some fireworks like that from Mr. Pooran's bat was very special. Will really enjoy a very successful couple of weeks.
Shayan Jahangir: The trust and support I have been getting from the franchise, it's been commendable. The backing we got brought us this trophy. The amount of talent we have in the US, we can match any country in the world. The exposure is going to take us to places and we'll put US cricket on the map.
Tim David: Championships are hard to win. Lost a couple of finals but this is an awesome moment. Everyone here were treated to a very special innings. Nicky P, bloody awesome. I got the first class seat in the house. I just let him do his magic. It was a slow start (to the tournament), we really gelled and found some momentum. Everyone contributed at some point. It takes a whole squad, whole support staff to win the cup and we've done it.
Robin Petersen | Head Coach: We tried to keep our composure and keep it cool. It was always going to be about the team, it was a team effort. A lot of adversities due to injuries, but the players were calm, they believed in each other, showed their fighting qualities.
Dewald Brevis: We are excited to lift the trophy, very grateful for it and ready to celebrate now. It's a great learning curve, we just keep learning. Tried to get better with every game.
Nicholas Pooran | MI New York captain: Chatting today we spoke about creating history. We lost our captain, and a couple of players. At the end of the day I am proud as everyone contributed. We knew it was a good batting wicket, we were prepared for this moment from a week ago. We had to be confident and believe in each other. We got over the line today, we were been put under pressure earlier this week. ‘You are going to bat like Nicky P’, I told myself, and backed my skill. I just had to execute my skills, I have been working on it for the last 5-6 years. It was really special for me. I just want to thank all the fans and supporters, they have been really amazing.
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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, 2026LAKRvMINY report: 2014 to 2026 – Polly and Corey winning it for the Blue and Gold!
One of the lasting memories from the 2014 IPL seasons was that of Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson playing blinders and pulling Mumbai Indians through past the finish line in matches that seemed dead and buried. Tonight, 12 years later, they’ve rolled back the clock to pull off a similar heist at the MLC. The partnership: 88 runs | 48 balls……and a mastery in calculating this chase and taking it deep. At 80/4 in the 12th over, things looked dicey. The target of 166 was still some distance away and the asking rate was touching 11s. Pollard started aggressively. Corey responded with a six and a four off Jason Holder in the next over, before playing out Sunil Narine out in the 15th over. The requirement: 62 runs in five overs.Over #16: 11 runs Over #17: 19 runs Over #18: 13 runs Over #19: 10 runs And just like that, nine runs were needed off the final over, and through a massive tonk over long-on, Anderson sealed the deal in style. Kieron Pollard, a gift that keep giving 63 runs | 35 balls | 6 fours | 2 sixes. He just doesn’t get tired, does he! Churning out another legend-class, adding a feather to an already-decorated hat, KP did KP things. Tonight, he took the attack to the opposition immediately, toyed around with the equation, the bowling, and made sure he pulled off another of his iconic chases. Bosch-Ugarkar set it upWith three wickets apiece, MINY’s pace bowling duo made sure the LAKR batters never got off the hooks, chipping away with regular wickets. On a pitch that has progressively gotten better for batting over the last three days, 165 was a total we’d have taken at the start. WWWhoaaa!!!! Three wins on the trot. Table-toppers. Peak MI New York have touched down!! 05 Jul, 2026
