MLC 2023 Champions: Major League Cricket: Nicholas Pooran leads MI New York to inaugural season title | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Leading from the front, captain 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 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas on Sunday.

AS IT HAPPENED
Riding on Pooran’s unbeaten 55-ball 137, MI New York chased down the 184-run victory target with 4 overs to spare to be crowned inaugural season champions adding to the glittering Mumbai Indians trophy cabinet.

Pooran won the toss and put in Seattle Orcas to bat.

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.
None of the other Seattle Orcas batsmen could convert their starts as Boult and Rashid Khan took 3 wickets each.
Rashid Khan was particularly impressive as he conceded just 9 runs off his 4 overs and also dismissed the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen.

A score of 183/9 by Seattle Orcas looked good till Pooran arrived at the crease and got going.
In absolute carnage, Pooran demolished anything that Seattle Orcas came up with smashing as many as 13 sixes and 10 fours in his match-winning knock.

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.
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.

MI New York raised their game to the next level in the playoffs after finishing fourth in the league stage.
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MI New York won the Eliminator against Washington Freedom, beat the Texas Super Kings in the Challenger and thrashed Seattle Orcas in the final.