Texas Super Kings Seal Dramatic Win in MLC Opener
If you missed the Major League Cricket 2025 opener, you missed a classic. The Texas Super Kings squeezed out a three-run win over MI New York at the Oakland Coliseum, leaving fans breathless till the very last ball. Chasing a target of 186 always looked tricky—especially with the bowling attack Texas had on display—but MI New York took the game right to the wire.
The tone was set by Devon Conway, who brought his A-game for the Super Kings with a perfectly paced 65 off 44 balls. His footwork against spin, quick running, and the way he cleared the rope five times made it look almost easy. When Calvin Savage joined Conway, the real fireworks began. Savage remained unbeaten on 50, finding the boundary when it mattered and smashing four sixes. Together, their 79-run stand in the middle overs pulled Texas out of some early trouble and pushed their total to what felt like a par score—185/6. The pair’s aggressive intent forced MI batsmen to chase hard, but it was never going to be straightforward.
Late Drama and the Daryl Mitchell Finish
MI New York’s chase got off to a shaky start, losing two early wickets to Adam Milne, who was on the money from the get-go. Milne’s figures—3 wickets for 23 runs—tell only part of the story. His pace rattled the top order, while Noor Ahmad’s left-arm spin kept the pressure tight through the middle with two big wickets for just 23 runs.
With the score at 51/4, things looked bleak for MI New York until captain Nicholas Pooran and the experienced Kieron Pollard rebuilt the innings, rotating strike cleverly and dispatching loose deliveries over the fence. It seemed like they were dragging their side back into contention, but cricket’s swing came when Pooran was run out in a moment of hesitation. Pollard tried to keep it going, but another run-out and persistent dots from the Texas bowlers turned the screws.
The chase got a second wind as Monank Patel and Michael Bracewell stepped up. Patel’s 55 and Bracewell’s 47 provided hope, but the key moment arrived at the last over. MI New York needed just nine runs off the final six balls, a situation usually favoring the batting team. Enter Daryl Mitchell, whose nerves of steel kept him unflustered amidst rising pressure. Mitchell stuck to his lines, bowled slower deliveries to keep batsmen guessing, and even pulled off a crucial run-out that swung the momentum. MI New York’s lower order faltered, and Texas celebrated when the final ball was bowled with the scoreboard stuck at 182/9.
There was no shortage of drama earlier too—Conway was run out in the final over of Texas’ innings, ending his charge a touch short, while Savage narrowly avoided a slip-up when he was dropped at 31. Those small moments turned out to be massive in the end. The Super Kings’ fielding and bowlers held their nerve, capping off the first MLC 2025 match with a finish that’ll be tough to top. Fans of Texas and MI New York know now: this season isn’t for the faint-hearted.
