Nicholas Pooran's 58 Not Out in 22 Balls Seals The Hundred Win for MI London
Nicholas Pooran was the defining figure of MI London's seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers at the Kia Oval, named Meerkat Match Hero after an unbeaten 58 from 22 deliveries that turned a precarious chase into a controlled win. His innings included four fours and five sixes, and it contained the fastest fifty in the franchise's history — reaching the landmark from 19 deliveries, a record that covers both the MI London era and the team's previous seasons as Oval Invincibles.
The Context of His Arrival
When Pooran came to the crease, MI London were 51 for 3 after 44 deliveries, chasing a target of 144. Will Jacks and Jason Roy had both fallen cheaply to Brydon Carse in the opening exchanges, and James Vince had just been bowled by Nathan Ellis after a laboured 18-ball stay. The chase required 93 more runs from 56 remaining deliveries, and while Sam Curran was established at the other end, the ask was substantial on a pitch that had been slow early in the evening.
Pooran's first scoring shot was a single to deep cover. His second was a drive that was cut off by the fielder. For three deliveries he showed restraint. Then Benny Howell arrived to bowl his slower deliveries, and Pooran immediately identified the opportunity. A four driven with the angle over fine leg, a six launched over long on waiting on a 62mph delivery, and another four swept to fine leg — all three came in consecutive deliveries off Howell, and the partnership shifted beyond 50 within 23 balls of them batting together.
Attacking Every Variation
What distinguished Pooran's innings was his ability to score freely against every type of bowler Sunrisers deployed. Against Howell's slow cutters, he stepped and hit cleanly. Against Dan Lawrence's off-spin, he drove and rotated strike without surrendering the initiative. When Abrar Ahmed was brought into the attack — a legitimate wicket-taking option for Sunrisers — Pooran responded by sweeping a delivery high over square leg for six, then slapping the very next ball over long on for another maximum. In two deliveries, Ahmed's threat was neutralised.
Ellis returned with the replacement ball and immediately produced a quality delivery — an off-cutter at 68mph that beat Pooran's edge. But Pooran responded with a tickled boundary to fine leg off the full delivery that followed, bringing up his half-century from 19 balls. The landmark was greeted warmly by a crowd of 20,540 at the Kia Oval.
Potts came back for his final allocation with MI London requiring 11 from 20 balls. A wide yorker went for a single. Then, off the final delivery of that set, Pooran launched a length ball from Potts over mid off for the boundary that confirmed the victory — seven wickets, 16 balls remaining.
The Partnership That Won the Match
Pooran's innings did not exist in isolation. His unbroken partnership with Sam Curran — who made 60 not out from 39 balls — was worth 93 runs from 40 deliveries and was the foundation of the win. Pooran himself acknowledged Curran's contribution after the match, noting that Curran and James Vince had weathered the difficult early period before he came in. He described the innings as doing what he had to do, and credited the conditions — the lights coming on and the ball beginning to slide onto the bat — as a factor in the partnership's success once it was established.
Pooran also referenced the 144 target, stating the team had considered it tricky given the slow initial conditions, but had believed that with a foundation and the lights on, they could complete the chase. The innings validated that assessment precisely.
Franchise Record and Broader Form
The 19-ball fifty was the fastest in the franchise's history. Commentary from the ground noted that Pooran had made 106 from 33 balls in his most recent T20 innings prior to this match, played at the Oakland Coliseum in the MLC competition in the United States. That form carried directly into his performance at the Kia Oval. Sunrisers' bowling attack — which had been effective in reducing MI London to 51 for 3 — had no answers once Pooran and Curran combined and the pitch quickened under the floodlights. The match was won not through fortune but through batting of sustained quality from two players who complemented each other's methods across the decisive phase of the game.
