103/10 (17.5)
CR : 5.78
144/6 (20.0)
CR : 7.20
MI New York won by 41 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Nicholas Pooran
70(58)*
6:31 AM IST, 6:01 PM Local Time: MI New York manage to defend 144 and win by 41 runs to make it 5-0 against LA Knight Riders. Nicholas Pooran was brilliant with the bat earlier in the game and then the bowlers, especially Nosthush Kenjige and Romario Shepherd, stepped up to bowl out LAKR for 103.
Earlier in the game, the Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bowl first. The LAKR bowlers kept chipping away with wickets at regular intervals but could not find a way to dismiss Nicholas Pooran.
The MINY skipper played a fine knock and single-handedly took the defending champions to a defendable total. He remained not out on 70 off 58 and really upped the ante in the backend of the innings.
Quintion de Kock (33) and Romario Shepherd (20) were the others who got into double figures for MI New York.
Andre Russell was the pick of the bowlers, taking four for 35. Jason Holder and Sunil Narine got a wicket apiece.
LA Knight Riders started well with a 50-plus run opening stand. It all went downhill when a mix-up between Colin Munro and Andre Fletcher ended the former's stay in the middle.
The other batters just could not get going and that put a lot of pressure on Fletcher. It was either hit or block approach from the LAKR batting line-up and they were eventually bowled out for 103 inside 18 overs.
Romario Shepherd bowled the most economical spell in MLC history, taking 1 for 5 in four overs. Noshtush Kenjige and Corbin Bosch picked up three wickets apiece as MI New York got back to winning ways. Stay tuned for the post-match presentation..
Earlier in the game, the Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bowl first. The LAKR bowlers kept chipping away with wickets at regular intervals but could not find a way to dismiss Nicholas Pooran.
The MINY skipper played a fine knock and single-handedly took the defending champions to a defendable total. He remained not out on 70 off 58 and really upped the ante in the backend of the innings.
Quintion de Kock (33) and Romario Shepherd (20) were the others who got into double figures for MI New York.
Andre Russell was the pick of the bowlers, taking four for 35. Jason Holder and Sunil Narine got a wicket apiece.
LA Knight Riders started well with a 50-plus run opening stand. It all went downhill when a mix-up between Colin Munro and Andre Fletcher ended the former's stay in the middle.
The other batters just could not get going and that put a lot of pressure on Fletcher. It was either hit or block approach from the LAKR batting line-up and they were eventually bowled out for 103 inside 18 overs.
Romario Shepherd bowled the most economical spell in MLC history, taking 1 for 5 in four overs. Noshtush Kenjige and Corbin Bosch picked up three wickets apiece as MI New York got back to winning ways. Stay tuned for the post-match presentation..
Jason Holder (Los Angeles Knight Riders Captain): "[144, did you feel that was too many runs?] No, I thought it was a good effort by our bowlers. You know, the way we bowled on the surface I thought was commendable. Just unfortunate the way we batted. I thought we could have put a better effort up. We didn't get enough partnerships up front to really take the game to them at the end.
[50-run opening stand, and then from there, wickets fell] Yeah, we lost some soft wickets at some crucial stages. I thought we lost a little bit of intent in the middle as well too, which really faltered us. So, quick turnaround. We play again tomorrow, and now it's our first loss in the competition. So we got to keep our heads in it. The spirit of the group is still pretty good, and that's something I reiterated to the boys.
[What have you learned about this Oakland wicket headed into tomorrow's doubleheader?] It's hard, man. It's not an easy wicket yet going on. It's been a bit low and slow as well too. So, it's something that we got to keep in the back of our minds. We need one of our top four batters to bat very deep and win the game for us."
[50-run opening stand, and then from there, wickets fell] Yeah, we lost some soft wickets at some crucial stages. I thought we lost a little bit of intent in the middle as well too, which really faltered us. So, quick turnaround. We play again tomorrow, and now it's our first loss in the competition. So we got to keep our heads in it. The spirit of the group is still pretty good, and that's something I reiterated to the boys.
[What have you learned about this Oakland wicket headed into tomorrow's doubleheader?] It's hard, man. It's not an easy wicket yet going on. It's been a bit low and slow as well too. So, it's something that we got to keep in the back of our minds. We need one of our top four batters to bat very deep and win the game for us."
Time for the post-match presentation...
Power Hitter of the Match: Nicholas Pooran
Play of the Day: Romario Shepherd (1 for 5 from his four overs)
Romario Shepherd: "[How happy does that make you feel?] That makes me feel fantastic because you know how big a game it was today. To say I planned that, I would be lying, because it was something truly fantastic. I'm just thankful for the win.
[On his two maiden overs] Well, I didn't plan it. I just tried to hit the area as much as possible, keep the ball as straight as possible, and it happened, so I'm thankful for that.
[On what this win means] Yeah, momentum is important in T20 cricket. Getting a win today is something that will help us going into the middle and end part of the tournament. If we had lost today, we would have been in a bad position, but this win will lift the spirit of the team."
[On his two maiden overs] Well, I didn't plan it. I just tried to hit the area as much as possible, keep the ball as straight as possible, and it happened, so I'm thankful for that.
[On what this win means] Yeah, momentum is important in T20 cricket. Getting a win today is something that will help us going into the middle and end part of the tournament. If we had lost today, we would have been in a bad position, but this win will lift the spirit of the team."
Player of the Match: Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran (POTM & MI New York Captain): "[On his batting] Basically, there was a plan about getting a start and taking responsibility. That's something we spoke about, and obviously knowing the conditions as well, gaining the opportunity today. We had to take responsibility once we got set.
[Did you think the total was enough and thoughts on the surface] In hindsight, yes. We felt obviously LAKR has a powerful batting lineup, but we felt like that pitch was always going to be challenging. We knew the powerplay was really important for us. We felt like if we could keep it really tidy in the powerplay, then we had a chance. Kudos to the bowlers who bowled in the powerplay. I felt like they were exceptional, although we didn't get wickets there. They were really disciplined.
[On Kenjige, Romario and that run out] Yeah, I mean, the plan is always to take wickets, right? But it's nice to see us in a position to execute that run-out, acknowledging and recognizing important winning moments in the game. I felt like that was one. Then Nosthush and Romario came on to bowl in tandem, and they were exceptional, showing that if we are disciplined and consistent for a long period of time, we can be successful. Not only both of them, but the way Bosch came and bowled at the back end, getting those two wickets in that over of Russell and Jason; everyone understood the agenda. We stuck to the script, gave ourselves a chance to win, and in the end, we won the game. So it was a brilliant team effort, which is exactly what you want. Obviously, we lost two games, and to lose this one here would have been terrible. It's nice to see everybody coming back into this back-to-back game and bringing that personality.
[On confidence heading into LA leg of the tournament] Yeah, that's a big win for us. Going to LA, obviously they are unknown conditions and we're not sure what's going to happen there, but we're happy to go on the road now with a win. We take it day by day, game by game. We will continue to assess conditions and play accordingly, so we're hoping for the best."
[Did you think the total was enough and thoughts on the surface] In hindsight, yes. We felt obviously LAKR has a powerful batting lineup, but we felt like that pitch was always going to be challenging. We knew the powerplay was really important for us. We felt like if we could keep it really tidy in the powerplay, then we had a chance. Kudos to the bowlers who bowled in the powerplay. I felt like they were exceptional, although we didn't get wickets there. They were really disciplined.
[On Kenjige, Romario and that run out] Yeah, I mean, the plan is always to take wickets, right? But it's nice to see us in a position to execute that run-out, acknowledging and recognizing important winning moments in the game. I felt like that was one. Then Nosthush and Romario came on to bowl in tandem, and they were exceptional, showing that if we are disciplined and consistent for a long period of time, we can be successful. Not only both of them, but the way Bosch came and bowled at the back end, getting those two wickets in that over of Russell and Jason; everyone understood the agenda. We stuck to the script, gave ourselves a chance to win, and in the end, we won the game. So it was a brilliant team effort, which is exactly what you want. Obviously, we lost two games, and to lose this one here would have been terrible. It's nice to see everybody coming back into this back-to-back game and bringing that personality.
[On confidence heading into LA leg of the tournament] Yeah, that's a big win for us. Going to LA, obviously they are unknown conditions and we're not sure what's going to happen there, but we're happy to go on the road now with a win. We take it day by day, game by game. We will continue to assess conditions and play accordingly, so we're hoping for the best."
Most Economical Bowling Figures in Major League Cricket (Full 4-Over Spells):
1/5 - Romario Shepherd (MI New York) vs LA Knight Riders, Oakland, 2026 (TONIGHT)*
3/9 - Rashid Khan (MI New York) vs Seattle Orcas, Dallas, 2023
0/10 - Lockie Ferguson (Washington Freedom) vs Seattle Orcas, Lauderhill, 2025
1/5 - Romario Shepherd (MI New York) vs LA Knight Riders, Oakland, 2026 (TONIGHT)*
3/9 - Rashid Khan (MI New York) vs Seattle Orcas, Dallas, 2023
0/10 - Lockie Ferguson (Washington Freedom) vs Seattle Orcas, Lauderhill, 2025
MI New York get back to winning ways with a clinical performance against Los Angeles Knight Riders, handing them their first defeat of the season. Nicholas Pooran, Nosthush Kenjige and Corbin Bosch all starred for the defending champions in Oakland.
The action doesn't stop in Major League Cricket. In the second game of the day, Texas Super Kings take on Washington Freedom, so switch tabs to follow our live coverage of that contest.
For now, this is Ajay Pal Singh signing off on behalf of my colleagues AkshayaKrishna Polya and Bishal Mandal. Goodbye.
The action doesn't stop in Major League Cricket. In the second game of the day, Texas Super Kings take on Washington Freedom, so switch tabs to follow our live coverage of that contest.
For now, this is Ajay Pal Singh signing off on behalf of my colleagues AkshayaKrishna Polya and Bishal Mandal. Goodbye.