What happened the last time Texas Super Kings played MI New York in the knockouts of the MLC?
The second edition of Major League Cricket (MLC) has reached its business end, with the playoffs set to begin immediately and the final scheduled for Monday, July 29. It has been a thoroughly entertaining competition with several top-class players taking part in the tournament.
The Washington Freedom and San Francisco Unicorns were the two best sides of the group stage with identical records. They won five out of their seven matches, with one match getting abandoned due to rain.
The first match in the playoffs will be the eliminator between third-placed Texas Super Kings and fourth-placed MI New York.
Both teams were challenged during the group stage and just about managed to make it through to the last four. The Texas Super Kings won three out of their seven games, with two getting washed out. Meanwhile, defending champions MI New York scraped through despite playing below-par cricket during the group stage.
The first group match between the two was abandoned without a single ball being bowled while the Texas Super Kings emerged victorious by 15 runs in the second encounter. Both teams have a well-oiled unit and will look to get the better of each other in the eliminator clash on July 25 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas.
What happened when Texas Super Kings and MI New York met in a knockout game last year
The Texas Super Kings and the MI New York squared off against each other in the Challenger of the Major League Cricket 2023. MI New York defeated the Texas Super Kings by six wickets and went on to win the tournament despite finishing fourth in the group stage.
MI New York captain Nicholas Pooran won the toss and asked the Super Kings to bat. Faf du Plessis and Devon Conway came out to open the innings for the Super Kings and were put under early pressure as Faf departed early. Trent Boult provided the early wicket for MI and there was no looking back from there on.
Mitchell Santner, who was sent in at No. 3 also fell cheaply and the powerplay wasn't utilised to good effect. Conway batted sensibly and tried to stabilize their innings. Having been reduced to 34/3 inside the powerplay, the Super Kings desperately needed a partnership to steady the sinking ship.
Milind Kumar joined Conway in the middle and turned things around for the Super Kings. A 77-run partnership helped the Super Kings claw their way back in the game. Despite the vital stand, the run rate was a concern. Milind scored a 34-ball 37 while Conway was eventually dismissed for 38 runs off 35 deliveries.
A quick-fire 17 off 10 deliveries from David Miller towards the death overs took the Super Kings to a competitive score of 158 in their allotted 20 overs. Trent Boult finished as the top wicket-taker with exceptional figures of 4/24.
Shayan Jahangir and Slade van Staden opened the innings for MI New York, and the former got his side off to a blazing start. Staden was dismissed for 6 (12) in the fourth over, but Jahangir looked in great touch and started finding boundaries regularly.
He was dismissed for a 18-ball 36 in the sixth over, which included five fours and a couple of sixes. Nicholas Pooran, at the other end, batted sensibly and stitched some crucial partnerships. When Pooran departed, MI New York was reduced to 74/3 in the 11th over and needed someone to bat through the innings.
Dewald Brevis and Tim David provided the impetus New York required and found boundaries at crucial junctures of the game to keep the required rate under control. David scored a 20-ball 33, which was decorated with four sixes, while Brevis remained unbeaten on 41 off 33 deliveries to see his side through.
David Wiese also provided a late surge, remaining undefeated on 19 off 11 deliveries. None of the bowlers could make a significant impact as the Super Kings went down with an over to spare. MI New York went onto lift the title after defeating the Seattle Orcas in the final.