MLC: When Nicholas Pooran's power game steered MI New York to title in inaugural season

It was a Nicholas Pooran special that took MI New York to the title in the inaugural season of the Major League Cricket (MLC) in 2023.

Pooran was the standout performer for the MI New York outfit, scoring 388 runs in eight matches with two fifties and one century at an explosive strike rate of 167.24.

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For MI New York, the other star performer was left-arm quick Trent Boult, who picked up 22 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.39.

MI New York's journey to the final was otherwise topsy-turvy; they scraped into the qualifiers with just two wins from five league games, relying on net run rate.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The fireworks had nothing on Nicky P tonight, NOTHING! ��The moment we became the first <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MajorLeagueCricket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MajorLeagueCricket</a> champions. ���� <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneFamily?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneFamily</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MINewYork?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MINewYork</a> <a href="https://t.co/8bXE7Aq3V4">pic.twitter.com/8bXE7Aq3V4</a></p>&mdash; MI New York (@MINYCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/MINYCricket/status/1685871824528109568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2023</a></blockquote>

However, Pooran's individual brilliance was undeniable. Throughout the tournament, he was dismissed for a single-digit score only once in seven games. A previous knock of 68, where 42 runs came solely from sixes, was a stark reminder of the destruction he could unleash.



In the final, Seattle Orcas set a challenging target of 183. Only once before in the tournament had a higher score been chased down, ironically by Seattle against New York themselves.

New York's chase started shakily with Steve Taylor falling on the third ball. But stand-in captain Pooran immediately counter-attacked, smashing two sixes off Imad Wasim to end the over. The onslaught continued against Dwaine Pretorius, whose first two deliveries disappeared for a 102-meter maximum and another huge six. A four and another six followed, before Pooran calmly nudged the fifth ball for a boundary, despite Pretorius attempting to slow the pace.

Who's that IPL player?

Pooran raced to his fifty in just 16 balls in the fourth over, the fastest of the tournament, with a four and a six off Cameron Gannon. Andrew Tye then faced the full force of Pooran's bat, conceding three massive sixes in the sixth over. By the end of the powerplay, MI New York had amassed 80 runs, with an astounding 69 of those coming from Pooran's bat.

He briefly slowed, taking nine balls to move from 90 to 100, but quickly reverted to carnage mode after reaching his century. Harmeet Singh became his next victim, conceding three consecutive sixes in the 15th over. Just six balls later, the match was over. Pooran, with a dramatic fall-over, nutmegged a yorker past short fine leg for a boundary, sealing the win and the MLC title.

MLC Season 1: A Quick Recap

Most Runs: 388 Nicholas Pooran (MI New York)
Most Fours: 24 Quinton de Kock (Texas Super Kings)
Most Sixes: 34 Nicholas Pooran (MI New York)
Highest Strike Rate: 197.48 Heinrich Klassen (Seattle Orcas)
Most Wickets: Trent Boult (MI New York)


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