Broward County [Florida], July 6: Kieron Pollard delivered a masterclass under pressure as MI New York snatched a thrilling 6-run victory over the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in the third season of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025, effectively ending LAKR’s playoff hopes.
On a sluggish pitch, MI New York stumbled early with their top order collapsing during the powerplay. Shadley van Schalkwyk (3/24) removed Quinton de Kock and Tajinder Singh in quick succession, while Corne Dry dismissed leading run-scorer Monank Patel with a brilliant catch by Saif Badar.
Skipper Nicholas Pooran steadied the innings with a measured 30 off 24 balls before falling to a juggling catch behind the stumps. Michael Bracewell’s dismissal soon after left MI New York reeling.
But Pollard turned the game around with an explosive 50 off 36 balls, launching Andre Russell and van Schalkwyk for crucial sixes in the death overs. His onslaught pushed MI New York to 142/9 despite Jason Holder’s disciplined bowling in the final over.
Chasing 143, LAKR started poorly as Andre Fletcher fell in the second over. Unmukt Chand anchored the innings with a composed 59, while Alex Hales added 21 runs. Despite needing only 29 off the final three overs with eight wickets in hand, LAKR stumbled under pressure.
Pollard’s tight penultimate over, which gave away just 5 runs and claimed Rutherford’s wicket, swung the match decisively. LAKR’s decision to retire Chand and send in Holder for the final over backfired, as Ehsan Adil bowled a superb last over to seal a 6-run win for MI New York.
The victory keeps MI New York’s playoff hopes alive, moving them level on points with the Seattle Orcas but ahead on net run rate—a potential tiebreaker as the group stage concludes.
Brief Score:
MI New York 142/9 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 50, Nicholas Pooran 30; Shadley van Schalkwyk 3/24)
beat
Los Angeles Knight Riders 136/4 in 20 overs (Unmukt Chand 59, Sherfane Rutherford 29; Kieron Pollard 1/12).