MI New York, the American team owned by IPL’s Mumbai Indians, has won the Major League Cricket title. They defeated defending champions Washington Freedom by 5 runs in an exciting final match.
Chasing a target of 181 runs set by MI New York, Washington Freedom managed only 175 runs for 5 wickets in their 20 overs. Rachin Ravindra scored a strong 70 runs, while Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten with 48 runs. However, their efforts were not enough to secure the win.
After losing two wickets without scoring, Ravindra and Jack Edwards built a crucial partnership. Edwards contributed 33 runs. In the final over, with 12 runs needed, Rushil Ugarkar kept the pressure on, giving only 2 runs in the first three balls and taking the key wicket of Glenn Maxwell on the fourth ball.
Earlier, MI New York batted first and scored 180 runs for 7 wickets in their 20 overs. Opener Quinton de Kock led the way with 77 runs. Monank Patel scored 28, Kunwarjeet Singh remained unbeaten on 22, and captain Nicholas Pooran added 21 runs.
For Washington, Lockie Ferguson took 3 wickets for 21 runs in 4 overs. Other bowlers, including Saurabh Netravalkar, Glenn Maxwell, Ian Holland, and Jack Edwards, took one wicket each.
Despite Washington Freedom’s strong season performance, they fell short in the final. MI New York overcame a slow start to qualify for playoffs and remained unbeaten thereafter.
MI New York had also won the inaugural season of Major League Cricket, while Washington Freedom claimed the title last year in the second season.
