MLC 2023 Points Table: Updated standings after MI New York vs Washington Freedom, Match 13

The 13th match of the inaugural MLC edition got underway between MI New York and Washington Freedom on July 24, 3 AM IST. Earlier in the day, Los Angeles Knight Riders also took on the mighty Seattle Orcas which they won by a narrow margin of two wickets.

Los Angeles were able to redeem themselves by securing a win in their final game against the table-toppers. The bowlers conceded a lot of runs in the backend of the innings and allowed Seattle to post a tricky total of 171.

In response, Los Angeles's batting looked in absolute shambles as they lost their top four in quick succession. But a valiant contribution by Rilee Rossouw helped LAKR get over the line in a nail-biting thriller.

The contest between Washington and MI New York ended in a very one-sided affair. Despite posting a decent total of 160, Washington was of no match once they came on to bowl.

Their bowlers went for plenty and could only scavenge two wickets. Their wayward bowling allowed MI New York to cruise comfortably to their target with 27 balls to space.

Following the conclusion of the two fixtures, Washington Freedom remains in the second position with an NRR of 0.097. The team has officially made it to the playoffs. Whereas, MI New York kept their playoff dream alive and moved on to the third position with an NRR of 1.319.

Seattle Orcas retain their position at the top despite their defeat against the Knight Riders. The team has an NRR of 0.806 and has officially made it to the playoffs.

Los Angeles Knight Riders end their campaign with one win to their name. They have officially been knocked out of the inaugural MLC edition and will walk away with a solitary win.

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Nicholas Pooran’s breathtaking heroics flatten Washington Freedom by 8 wickets

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Batting first, Freedom got off to a powerful start courtesy of Gous and Short but the slower bowlers from MINY put on the brakes and reduced them to 57 for 3 in the 9th over. After a brisk start, they were strangled during the middle overs and found it tough to score boundaries. Glenn Phillips and Moises Henriques batted sensibly thereafter and milked runs with ease.

They stepped on the scoring after the 15th over and added 77 for the fourth wicket. Both batters were dismissed in the 19th over but a collective 24 off 10 balls from Jansen, Pienaar, and Akeal Hosein dragged Freedom to a handy total first innings total.

Almost 55 runs came off the last four overs which saw Washington scrape their way to 160. MINY bowlers kept it tight for the most part of the innings and did not give away anything.

However, the floodgates opened towards the backend of the innings and they gave away close to 14 runs per over in the last four overs. Pollard was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets while the rest chipped in with a wicket each.

With an above-par target on board, MI New York needed a big start, and that’s exactly what they got with their local openers in Monank Patel and Shayan Jahangir.

Chasing 161 for the win, MINY got off to a rocketing start courtesy of Monank Patel (44 off 29) and Shayan Jahangir(29 off 21) who added 67 in just seven overs for the opening wicket.

Akeal Hosein broke the partnership and dismissed Patel but Pooran came in at three and kept the runs going at a good clip. Jahangir departed in the 12th over as Pollard joined Pooran (62* off 33) in the middle. The duo made 53 in just over 26 balls and took their side home comfortably.

Washington Freedom looked very ordinary on the field and showed poor intent with the ball. Anrich Nortje looked lethal while Akeal Hosein and Dane Piedt picked up a wicket each.

But the rest of the bowlers were taken to the cleaners which eventually got the required rate down to 6.0 RPO. And that made the chase easy as Pollard and Pooran continued to smash the bowlers around and eventually got to their target in no time.

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Los Angeles Knight Riders finally break from their shackles and end their losing streak

The Knight Riders won the toss and decided to field first. Seattle Orcas had a good start to their innings and were progressing nicely. But against the run of play, they lost a couple of wickets inside the power play and were in a bit of trouble.

De Kock played a false stroke and fell early to Zampa but a breezy cameo from Nauman gave Seattle the momentum early on. Russell outfoxed him eventually but he had already done his job by then.

Just when it was looking like they were losing the plot, Shehan Jayasuriya decided to be resilient. Zampa and Narine bowled well in tandem and pulled things back a bit but Jayasuriya changed gears when it was needed and scored a brilliant fifty.

He held one end and ensured that the innings did not crumble. Jayasuriya remained not out at 60 off 45 and helped the Orcas reach a respectable total of 170 runs for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs.

In the chase, the Knight Riders had a nightmarish start. Inside the fifth over of the innings, LAKR was four down for just 22 runs. After this, there was a partnership of 67 runs which got them back on track. But at the score of 89 LAKR lost Andre Russell and it looked like they will end the tournament with zero wins.

But Rilee Rossouw kept his calm and took the game across the line. He remained unbeaten on 78 off 38 deliveries and ensured that Knight Riders won the match by two wickets with five balls remaining in the match.