Clashes between these two franchises are always nail-biting, and this match lived up to the hype once again. It went down to the wire, but Texas Super Kings pulled off a narrow 3-run win to start their MLC 2025 with a bang. MI New York were in total control at one stage with Pollard in beast mode, but fate had other plans. A couple of run-outs at a crucial juncture - including the big wicket of Pollard - turned the tide, and they ended up bottling the chase. Time to wrap up this coverage, folks! For now, it's me, Deepak Prakash, signing off on behalf of co-commentators AkshayaKrishna Polya, Saptak Sanyal, and scorer/analyst Dushyant Madhukar Kumar, who brought all the action of this enthralling clash. See You Soon!
Highest Fourth Wicket Partnership in MLC: 97- Monank Patel/Michael Bracewell (MI New York vs Texas Super Kings, Oakland, TODAY) 85*- Glenn Maxwell/Travis Head (Washington Freedom vs San Francisco Unicorns, Dallas, 2024) 83- Steven Smith/Glenn Maxwell (Washington Freedom vs San Francisco Unicorns (Dallas, 2024)
Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings Captain): "To be honest, it felt like a bit of a steal in the end. We were brilliant in the first 10 overs and felt well ahead in the game. But then we lost our way a bit, and credit to them — they played some really good cricket. It felt like the game was slipping out of our hands. Thankfully, a few brilliant run-outs and some special moments at the end swung it back in our favour.
Yeah, I think Noor probably wasn’t at his best tonight. Normally, he’s incredibly consistent and doesn’t miss much, so it was a bit of an off night for him. That said, he came back really well in a crucial 16th over.
We were a bit light on bowling options, so it took some thinking in the middle to manage our resources effectively. But credit to the team — the guys executed really well. Adam was outstanding once again. He’s been excellent in this circuit for a few years now and is truly a great asset to our side.
Yeah, it's always nice when those moments come up. Look, I still love fielding — still enjoy chasing the ball around. When the mind sees the ball coming, you just hope the body responds the way it used to. Luckily, tonight it all came together.
We really enjoyed being here tonight — just looking around the stadium, it has that colosseum feel to it. You can sense the buzz in the ground. It’s something special to play cricket in venues like this, where two sports worlds collide. And what better way to kick things off than with an El Clasico — a clash between two arch-rivals in front of a packed crowd."
Calvin Savage (Most Valuable Player of the Match):"Specially when the wickets are lost, we need to go forward. I saw there are a few balls left in the end and I tried to have some fun.
To be honest, we were 15 runs short. But it is an excellent team effort that gave us the victory. We have got some support from the crowd. Everyone has been great!
Most Valuable Player of the Match: Calvin Savage
Play of the Day: Faf du Plessis
Power Hitter of the Match: Monank Patel
Time for the post-match presentations.
Nicholas Pooran (MI New York Captain): "First of all, I’m going to celebrate with a little dance! You know, cricket is a funny game — it’s never over until the final ball is bowled. That was a tough one.
Yeah, I’m happy with 185. That said, there was a good partnership — whether it was with Savage or Conway out there. Still felt like we got about 10–15 runs more than we needed. But we can’t be too critical — it’s our first game of the tournament, and I think we did a really good job overall.
Yeah, again, we felt like we were in control of the game — it was just about getting that one wicket. And with such a small venue, it really becomes a game of cat and mouse. We were trying to hold our bowlers for the back end, but in hindsight, maybe we could’ve brought one of them on earlier to try and get Conway out. Honestly, we didn’t expect Savage to play such a good innings, but full credit to him as well.
I mean, I have to put my hand up. Losing two wickets in the powerplay is always crucial. Getting out on the second ball after going for a shot straight away — there’s really no excuse for that. That’s when I need to show more discipline outside off. But that said, hopefully I can bounce back and put in a strong effort next time."