MI New York edged past San Francisco Unicorns in a nerve-racking contest in Dallas to stay alive in the MLC 2025 playoffs. Chasing a modest 132, they secured a tense two-wicket victory thanks to Trent Boult’s late fireworks with the bat and a strong bowling display.
Boult not only grabbed 2 for 19 with the ball but also smashed back-to-back sixes at a crucial juncture to turn the game around, guiding MINY to Qualifier 2. His finishing touch meant last year’s runners-up Unicorns were knocked out of the tournament.
“𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒙𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒎,” 𝑩𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉. “𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒛𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔.”
Unicorns Crumble Early, Bartlett Revives Hopes
Unicorns’ innings started disastrously, collapsing to 16 for 5 in the powerplay after Boult and Nosthush Kenjige ripped through the top order. Boult removed Tim Seifert and Jake Fraser-McGurk caught behind, while Kenjige dismissed Matthew Short and Sanjay Krishnamurthi.
Hassan Khan was then run out for a golden duck following a mix-up, deepening the crisis. But Xavier Bartlett launched a counterattack, hammering 44 from 24 balls with towering sixes, dragging Unicorns to a competitive 131.
Rushil Ugarkar contributed with 3 for 19, including the key wicket of Bartlett, who finally mistimed a pull to midwicket.
MINY Stumble in Chase Before Boult’s Late Blast
After a rain delay, MINY’s chase started smoothly with Quinton de Kock and Monank Patel adding 43. But Matthew Short’s three-wicket burst and Hassan Khan’s double strikes turned the game into a nail-biter. Short first trapped de Kock lbw and then bowled Nicholas Pooran, while Monank fell soon after for 33.
At 108 for 8, MI New York needed 24 runs off 19 balls with just two wickets left. Boult then launched Hassan Khan for two huge sixes that shifted momentum instantly.
“When Boult hit those sixes, we knew it was our night,” captain Kieron Pollard said.
MI New York eventually chased down the target with nine balls to spare, setting up a clash against Texas Super Kings to decide who meets Washington Freedom in the final.
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