MI New York won their second Major League Cricket (MLC) title in a dramatic last-over finish against Washington Freedom. The match ended with MI New York scoring 180 for 7, beating Washington Freedom’s 175 for 5 by five runs.
The final over was intense. Washington Freedom needed 12 runs from six balls to win. Young medium pacer Rushil Ugarkar, just 22 years old and without international experience, held the ball for MI New York. Facing him were white-ball stars Glenn Maxwell and Glenn Phillips. Despite the pressure, Ugarkar kept his cool. He conceded only six runs in the over, dismissing Maxwell with a slower offcutter and limiting Phillips to a single ball faced. His skillful bowling secured MI New York the championship in a tense finish.
Before the last over, the momentum was clearly with Washington Freedom, mainly due to Phillips’ performance. After the 17th over, when Trent Boult gave away just seven runs, Phillips was on 25 from 27 balls. The asking rate was more than 13 runs per over. Phillips then targeted bowlers Tristan Luus and Boult. He hit two sixes off Luus in the 18th over, which went for 17 runs, and another six off Boult in the 19th over, which gave 12 runs. Despite this strong attack, Phillips faced just one ball in the final over against Ugarkar.
The Freedom’s chase started with a setback when Boult took two wickets in the first over. However, opener Rachin Ravindra fought back, scoring 70 runs from 41 balls. Jack Edwards also contributed with 33 runs from 22 balls. Still, Washington Freedom struggled to gain momentum until Phillips took charge. Maxwell, who had been inconsistent in the tournament except for one big innings of 106*, couldn’t keep the run rate high. Three MI New York bowlers, including Ugarkar, bowled economically, with their rates at or below eight runs per over. Tajinder Singh was particularly effective, conceding only 18 runs in three overs.
Ravindra, who had a modest tournament before this game, showed his class by scoring two sixes and eight fours at a strike rate of 170.73. His partnership of 84 runs in 45 balls with Edwards gave Freedom a solid base. However, the next partnership with Phillips added just 46 runs in 42 balls, which slowed their progress and proved costly.
MI New York got off to an excellent start when Washington captain Maxwell chose to field first. Opener Quinton de Kock and Monank Patel, the tournament’s top run-scorer, built a quick partnership of 72 runs in 44 balls. De Kock led the attack, also playing a key role in a third-wicket stand of 56 runs off 35 balls with Nicholas Pooran. De Kock scored 77 runs from 46 balls before being dismissed by Lockie Ferguson, who took three wickets.
After de Kock’s dismissal in the 17th over, MI New York lost momentum, but Kunwarjeet Singh’s unbeaten 22 runs off 13 balls helped keep them ahead. Despite strong efforts by Ravindra and Phillips, MI New York’s solid start and disciplined bowling, especially Ugarkar’s composure under pressure, helped them hold their lead to win the title.
