MI New York (MINY) emerged victorious against the Texas Super Kings (TSK) in the Challenger of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023 and booked their spot into the final of the inaugural event. Meanwhile, TSK were eliminated, and their campaign ended with the loss.
Asked to bat first, TSK’s top order struggled to find momentum. Although Devon Conway contributed with valuable 38 runs, the other batters failed to capitalize on the start. However, Milind Kumar‘s 37 and David Miller‘s quick 17 runs provided some impetus to the Texas-based team and helped them reach a fighting total of 158 runs in the 20 overs. Trent Boult was the pick of the bowlers for MINY, claiming an impressive 4-wicket haul and conceding just 24 runs in his quota of four overs.
In reply, MINY showed their mettle and composure during the run chase. Shayan Jahangir set the tone with a blistering 36 runs off just 18 deliveries. Despite a few hiccups in the middle overs, Dewald Brevis steadied the ship with a well-crafted 41 runs off 33 balls for the eventual winners.
Tim David‘s quickfire 33 runs off just 20 balls in the end ultimately sealed the game for MINY, guiding the New York-based franchise to reach the set target in 19 overs for the loss of four wickets. Daniel Sams and Calvin Savage took one wicket each for TSK but couldn’t prevent the defeat.
Kieron Pollard pokes fun at Dwayne Bravo:
Following the win, MINY skipper Kieron Pollard was seen hilariously teasing his old friend and TSK all-rounder Dwayne Bravo. It is worth mentioning that Pollard and Bravo have played together for the West Indies team at international level in the past and share a great bond with each other. The duo is even famous for their funny banters on and off the field.
Something similar happened after Pollard’s team eliminated TSK from the final race when the MINY skipper poked fun at Bravo with a ‘fly back home’ gesture. Pollard kept taunting Bravo with aroplane hand moments while Bravo smiled and bowed down to his compatriot. The two friends later hugged each other with broad smiles on their faces.
Here’s the video:
Fantastic. Bravo did the same thing to Pollard after dismissing him in the IPL 2012 Eliminator in Delhi pic.twitter.com/bIJWg3A6xt
— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) July 29, 2023
MINY will now face Seattle Orcas (SEO) in the final of MLLC 2023 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Sunday (July 30).
