Pooran's 68* Steers MI New York to 8-Wicket Win Over TSK — MLC 2026 Match Report

Texas Super Kings (Playing XI): Saiteja Mukkamalla, Rilee Rossouw, Smit Patel (wk), Donovan Ferreira (c), Milind Kumar, Shubham Ranjane, Wiaan Mulder, Amshi de Silva, Hardus Viljoen, Akeal Hosein, Adam Milne

Three changes from the SF Unicorns loss: Faf du Plessis is ruled out with a back spasm, Donovan Ferreira steps up as captain. Smit Patel comes in for Faf, Akeal Hosein replaces Mohammad Mohsin, and Adam Milne returns for Nandre Burger.

MI New York won the toss and elected to field.

"We know that obviously we chased down that 220, so it's all about assessing what the conditions are today and putting on a score that we can defend." — Donovan Ferreira

This is the final match of the first Dallas leg at Grand Prairie Stadium before the tournament moves to California.

Head to Head: TSK vs MI New York

TSK lead 5–2 all-time — but this fixture never runs in a straight line. The pattern across four seasons tells a consistent story: TSK dominate in the league stage (4 wins from 4 meetings), MI New York show up in the knockouts (2 wins from 3 playoff clashes). TSK's biggest win — 223-4 restricting MINY to 184 in 2025 — came in the second league meeting last season. Their narrowest — 3 runs in Oakland in the first 2025 league match — was a nervy finish that could have swung either way.

MI New York's playoff wins in 2023 and 2025 both came at crucial moments. Both times, TSK had beaten them in the league stage earlier that season and went in as favourites. Both times, MINY flipped the script when it mattered most. That context matters here: this is a team that has proven they can beat TSK with everything on the line.

Key Battles: Who Dominates This Fixture

TSK's top scorers vs MI New York: Faf du Plessis leads all scorers in this fixture with 327 runs across 7 matches (SR 153.52) — no batter in any team comes close in this rivalry. Devon Conway added 268 runs in 5 innings (SR 130.73) before leaving the squad. Among the current XI, Donovan Ferreira is the most explosive option — 85 runs in 3 innings at SR 207.32, the highest strike rate of any TSK regular in this fixture. CP Savage (71 runs, SR 165.12) and Milind Kumar (59 runs, 4 innings) round out the contributors.

MI New York's danger men vs TSK: Mihir Patel leads the MINY batting charts against TSK with 226 runs in 6 matches (SR 126.97) — a consistent presence at the top across four seasons. Kieron Pollard has been devastating at 163.27 strike rate, scoring 160 runs in 6 innings — his power hitting in the middle and death overs has swung several close games. Nicholas Pooran (117 runs, 7 innings, SR 120.62) and Shayan Jahangir (103 runs in 3 innings, SR 130.38) are the other names TSK need to contain. The most dangerous fixture batter with the ball in hand: Rashid Khan, who has contributed with both bat (118 runs in 3 innings, SR 190.32) and ball.

Bowling picture: For TSK, Marcus Stoinis (now departed) was the leading wicket-taker with 8 wickets in this fixture, but among the current squad Mohammad Mohsin leads with 5 wickets in 5 matches (Eco 7.61) and Zia-ul-Haq adds 5 more across 6 appearances (Eco 7.36). The standout number: AJ Hosein in 2 matches, 4 wickets, economy 3.71 — by far the most economical bowler TSK have deployed against MI New York. Hosein's death-over control could be the difference in a close game.

For MINY, Trent Boult is the fixture's leading wicket-taker overall — 8 wickets in 7 matches (Eco 9.14) against TSK, consistently getting the new ball to move and finding top-order breakthroughs. Rashid Khan (3 wickets, Eco 6.00 in 4 matches) is the most economical threat they have — a world-class leg-spinner at the peak of his powers. Ehsan Adil (3 wickets in 5 matches, Eco 9.07) provides an additional seam option.

TSK Innings: Batting First at Grand Prairie

Powerplay Carnage: 47-3 (6 Overs)

Trent Boult had other ideas about a high-scoring night. The pre-match pitch report warned of cross-seam movement and variation — and Boult weaponised every bit of it from ball one.

The new ball swung, the cross-seam sat up, and TSK's top three never got going. Smit Patel was gone third ball of the innings — pushing hard at a delivery angled across him, he got it off the toe-end and Pollard at mid-on held a routine catch. 0 off 3. A brutal start for a debutant captain's partner.

Rilee Rossouw followed shortly after — Boult full and straight, Rossouw tucking to leg, the ball sneaking past the inside edge and crashing into the stumps. Cross-seam delivery, bowled through the gate, no footwork from Rossouw. 8 off 5, one six. Two wickets for Boult, and TSK were wobbling badly.

Saiteja Mukkamalla looked the most composed of the three — 17 off 14, three boundaries — but his dismissal was the most preventable. He came charging down the track, Corbin Bosch spotted it and bowled a hard length, cramping him for room. Mukkamalla went for the slash over the off-side anyway, the ball climbed off the splice, and Tajinder Dhillon took a tumbling catch after a moment of confusion. TSK three down inside the powerplay, 47-3 after 6 overs.

Boult and Bosch had both struck early. The pitch was doing exactly what Plunkett said it would — grip, movement, variation. TSK were in trouble.

Middle Overs: Ranjane and Milind Steady the Ship

Three down inside the powerplay, TSK's innings needed someone to absorb the pressure and rebuild. Milind Kumar and Shubham Ranjane did exactly that — and did it quickly. They stitched a 50-run partnership off just 32 balls, giving TSK real momentum through the middle overs. At drinks — 80-3 after 10 overs — Ranjane was 20(17) and Milind 32(23), with Sunny Patel's two overs leaking 13.

But just as TSK looked to shift gears, the partnership broke. Milind Kumar fell for 39 off 30 — caught by Nicholas Pooran off Romario Shepherd, four fours and a six in what was one of the innings' better cameos. A top-order innings that kept TSK afloat; he deserved more at the end.

Ranjane pushed on — and at 49 off 36, with a half-century in sight, he was caught by Boult off Rushil Ugarkar. One run short. It was the wicket that triggered the collapse: TSK went from threatening something imposing to scrambling for runs as Corbin Bosch turned the screws in the back half.

The Collapse: Bosch Turns the Screws

Corbin Bosch finished with 4 wickets — Mukkamalla (powerplay), Ferreira, Mulder, and Hosein — and proved the most consistent threat all night. Ferreira's 7 off 7 as the stand-in captain was a disappointing return; he never found his stride. Mulder hit 15 off 8 — a six, a boundary, then caught at deep midwicket — and Hosein chipped to the keeper for 6. The lower order offered little.

Trent Boult returned in the 20th over to wrap things up — bowling Adam Milne for 5, then a brilliant direct-hit run-out to end Amshi de Silva's innings for 0. Boult's evening: 3.2-0-18-3, economy 5.40. The best figures of the match and a masterclass in new-ball bowling under lights at Grand Prairie.

TSK 158-10 (19.2 overs). A total that felt 20-25 runs short — the Milind-Ranjane partnership threatened something bigger, but the collapse after Ranjane's dismissal undid the work. With MINY's batting depth and Pollard's presence in the middle order, 158 was always going to be a tough ask to defend.

MINY Chase: Chasing 159

Powerplay: De Kock Sets the Platform

Quinton de Kock came out swinging — 26 off 16, two fours and two sixes, SR 162.50. He and Monank Patel put on 49 runs for the first wicket, taking the sting out of TSK's new-ball threat before it could materialise. De Kock fell in the 6th over (49-1), bowled by Amshi de Silva, but the tone had already been set. MINY were ahead of the rate from the jump.

Middle Overs: Monank Anchors, Pooran Accelerates

Monank Patel took charge after de Kock's departure — calm, accumulating, never letting the asking rate get away from them. By the timeout at over 10: MINY 83-1, with Monank on 38(28) and Pooran 16(16), the chase was a formality. Nine wickets in hand, rate sitting at 7.6.

The partnership between Monank and Nicholas Pooran was the match-winning one — a 64-run stand that took MINY from 49 to 113. Monank eventually fell lbw to Hardus Viljoen for 46 off 34 (over 12.5), with the target down to under 50. One wicket down the last time TSK had prised one out; they'd need another miracle now.

Pooran Finishes It

It never came. Nicholas Pooran finished unbeaten on 68 off 46 — six fours, three sixes, SR 147.83 — his most important innings of MLC 2026 so far. Cool, controlled, and completely in command. Kieron Pollard joined him and the experienced pair knocked off the remaining runs without alarm.

MI New York won by 8 wickets, 162-2 in 17.4 overs — with 14 balls to spare.

TSK's bowlers were unable to apply any sustained pressure. Ferreira's four overs went for just 27 (Eco 6.80), the most economical of the lot, but wicketless. Viljoen (1 wicket) and de Silva (1 wicket) were the only breakthroughs. Akeal Hosein — so promising in the H2H historically — went for 29 in 3 overs with 5 wides. Mulder's 1.3 overs leaked 20 at 13.30.

Result: MI New York won by 8 wickets

TSK's 158 — built on the backs of Milind Kumar (39) and Shubham Ranjane (49) after a powerplay collapse — was never quite enough. The total needed a top-order failure from MINY, and de Kock and Monank gave them exactly the opposite: a composed, professional chase from ball one. Pooran's unbeaten 68 was the statement innings of the match.

For TSK, the absence of Faf du Plessis — their all-time leading scorer in this fixture — was felt acutely. Three changes to the XI, a new captain, and a total 20 runs short of competitive. Corbin Bosch (4-29) was the standout performer of the game; Trent Boult (3-18) the best with the new ball.

This result carries extra significance: it is MI New York's first ever league stage win against Texas Super Kings in MLC history. Their two previous wins had both come in the knockouts — the 2023 Qualifier 2 and the 2025 Qualifier 2. TSK had been unbeaten against MINY across all four league seasons. That record is gone.