MI New York cruised to an eight-wicket victory over Los Angeles Knight Riders, chasing down the target of 155 with 13 balls to spare. Trent Boult’s brilliant four-for sparked the collapse of the LAKR batting lineup, while Nicholas Pooran and Monank Patel’s half-centuries made the chase look straightforward.
Boult’s Early Impact Sets the Tone
Opting to field first after winning the toss, MI New York got off to a flying start thanks to Boult’s incisive bowling in the powerplay. He struck in each of his first three overs, bowling all three batsmen. The first wicket fell on the very first ball as Boult’s inswinger beat Unmukt Chand’s drive and hit the stumps. He then dismissed Andre Russell with a well-pitched delivery that kept low, and followed it up by trapping Andre Fletcher with a clever cross-seam ball that deviated off length.
Boult returned late in the innings to remove Sherfane Rutherford for 86, finishing with outstanding figures of 4 wickets for just 17 runs. Rutherford’s explosive innings kept LAKR competitive, as he scored 86 off 44 balls, smashing five boundaries and six sixes. His efforts, however, weren’t enough to take LAKR over the line.
“𝑩𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒕’𝒔 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑴𝑰 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒀𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉. “𝑹𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒔.”
Pooran and Monank Dominate the Chase
In response, MI New York’s batting was largely untroubled. Sunil Narine broke through early, removing Quinton de Kock in the third over, but LAKR’s bowling struggled to maintain pressure. Monank Patel and Nicholas Pooran built a crucial partnership of 112 runs for the second wicket, steadying the chase.
Monank scored a confident 56 off 44 balls, while Pooran overcame a slow start to accelerate with a fluent 62 not out from 47 deliveries, including six fours and two sixes. After Russell finally broke the partnership by dismissing Monank, MI New York needed just 20 runs from 20 balls. Pooran and Kieron Pollard sealed the victory swiftly, with Pollard contributing two sixes in a quick 14 not out.
“𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆,” 𝑷𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅. “𝑾𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒌𝒆.”
With this win, MI New York keep their slim playoff hopes alive, while Los Angeles Knight Riders face an uphill battle to make the MLC 2025 postseason.
Also Read: Renshaw and Sangha Named Australia A Captains for Sri Lanka Series
