MI New York emerged victorious in the debut season of Major League Cricket (MLC) at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas on Monday. The team's captivating performances throughout the tournament culminated in a spectacular final, where they beat Seattle Orcas for the title, led by Nicholas Pooran's blistering century.
Set to chase 184 to win by the Orcas, MI New York romped home with four overs to spare for a seven-wicket win after their West Indian batsman Pooran blasted 137 not out off just 55 balls, including 13 sixes and 10 fours.
MLC is the United States' premier T20 cricket league, and its inaugural season, which commenced on July 13, reached its climax with an electrifying final between MI New York and the Seattle Orcas.
The MI New York owner Nita Ambani was at the ground, passionately supporting her team, and lauded the tournament's impact, as it provided a platform for some of the finest cricket players from around the world to showcase their skills and entertain fans.
“Just look at the atmosphere here. It looks like a festival of cricket. I think MLC is a momentous step in the development of cricket in this region. Sport can be a bedrock of society and especially in the US, it’s a big part of the culture. So for us to join hands with MLC and play our role in the growth and development of cricket in this region is fantastic. I’m enjoying every moment of it,” she said.
Mumbai Indians now has presence in three continents, four countries and five leagues.
Speaking about the vision behind the same, Nita Ambani said, “It’s been wonderful to see the growth of cricket around the world and especially MI going to the UAE, South Africa and now here in the US.
She also hoped that the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League will be a game-changer.
"We also have a women’s team which I am very, very proud of. It was so wonderful to see these young girls from such diverse backgrounds coming and playing together as a team. It was very heart-warming. I’m a big supporter of girls in sports and I hope we can take it forward in every sport possible,” she said.
1/10:MI New York beat Seattle Orcas to win inaugural MLC season title
2/10:Nicholas Pooran
<p>Nicholas Pooran smashed an unbeaten century as MI New York defeated Seattle Orcas by 7 wickets to win the inaugural Major League Cricket season title. </p>
3/10:Epic knock
<p>Riding on Pooran's unbeaten 55-ball 137, MI New York chased down the 184-run victory target with 4 overs to spare. </p>
4/10:Quinton de Kock
<p>Quinton de Kock continued his good form in the tournament and hit a 52-ball 87 hitting 4 sixes and 9 fours before he was clean bowled by Trent Boult. </p>
5/10:Trent Boult
<p>None of the other Seattle Orcas batsmen could convert their starts as Trent Boult and Rashid Khan took 3 wickets each. </p>
6/10:Rashid Khan
<p>Rashid Khan was particularly impressive as he conceded just 9 runs off his 4 overs and also dismissed the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen. </p>
7/10:Pooran power
<p>A score of 183/9 by Seattle Orcas looked good till Pooran arrived at the crease and got going. </p>
8/10:Leading from the front
<p>Pooran demolished anything that Seattle Orcas came up with smashing as many as 13 sixes and 10 fours in his match-winning knock. </p>
9/10:Stand-in captain
<p>Pooran, who was named captain after Kieron Pollard was injured earlier in the tournament, came in at No. 3 and sent the Seattle Orcas bowlers on a leather hunt. </p>
10/10:40-ball 100
<p>The ground looked too small for Pooran and the bowling too easy as the MI New York captain raced to his 50 off 16 balls and his 100 off 40 deliveries. </p>“We believe that we are a family at MI and that is our ethos. It comprises not just the players and support staff but also all our fans who have contributed so much to making MI a global brand. I think one of the most important initiatives for us is 'Education and Sports For All'. The initiative has supported 22 million children from India who come from an underprivileged background. So we are very proud to call all of them One Family, MI family.
“At Mumbai Indians we pride ourselves on discovering and nurturing young talent – Hardik (Pandya), (Jasprit) Bumrah. We hope to do this not just in India but around the world.”
(With agency inputs)
