Nicholas Pooran struck an unbeaten 58 from just 22 balls to drive MI London to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers at the Kia Oval, knocking off a target of 144 with 16 balls to spare in front of a crowd of 20,540. It was a result that swung dramatically in MI London's favour once Pooran arrived at the crease, with Sunrisers unable to find answers in the back half of the innings after a disciplined start with the ball.
Sunrisers Make Early Inroads
Brydon Carse set the tone with the ball for Sunrisers, delivering a sustained and hostile opening spell that put MI London under immediate pressure. He removed Will Jacks in the sixth ball of the innings, angling one into the stumps before it seamed away to find the outside edge, with Benny Howell taking a clean catch at cover. Jacks departed for 2 from 3 balls. Jason Roy, batting on his 36th birthday, followed just two balls later, caught at slip by Mitchell Marsh off another sharp delivery from Carse that seamed away at pace.
MI London were 8 for 2 after 10 balls, with 136 still required from 90. Carse finished his full allocation of 20 balls with figures of 2 for 18, a miserly return that kept Sunrisers firmly in the match through the middle phase. Captain Sam Curran and James Vince were tasked with steadying the innings.
Vince and Curran Weather the Storm
The rebuilding phase was anything but fluent. Vince scratched around for 17 from 18 balls, finding boundaries scarce against a disciplined Sunrisers attack that rotated its options effectively. Curran, meanwhile, worked hard for his runs, keeping the innings ticking while boundaries remained at a premium through the middle overs. Matthew Potts, Benny Howell, Abrar Ahmed and Nathan Ellis all contributed to keeping MI London in check, with Howell and Abrar conceding at modest rates during their spells.
Ellis eventually ended Vince's stay, beating him with a delivery that nipped in with pace and took out off stump. Vince was bowled for 17, and MI London were 51 for 3 after 44 deliveries, with 93 still needed from just under half their remaining balls. The requirement was steep, and Sunrisers appeared well placed.
Pooran Changes Everything
Nicholas Pooran's arrival at the crease transformed the chase entirely. He needed only three balls to open his account before accelerating sharply, punishing Benny Howell for three boundaries in quick succession — two fours and a six — as he moved to 17 from six balls. Pooran repeatedly targeted the slower bowlers, hitting Howell and then Dan Lawrence for sixes as he took command of proceedings.
Abrar Ahmed, brought back in an attempt to slow the scoring, was taken for two sixes in consecutive balls by Pooran in the 75th delivery — one swept high over square leg, the next slapped over long on. At the other end, Curran continued to play an anchoring role, reaching his fifty from 34 deliveries and contributing crucial boundaries of his own, including a six launched over straight midwicket off Abrar and a full toss dispatched over wide long on off Potts.
Pooran brought up the fastest fifty in the history of the franchise — MI London and their previous incarnation as the Oval Invincibles — from just 19 balls, with the fifty partnership between Pooran and Curran arriving from only 23 deliveries. The pair added their runs at a rate that left Sunrisers with no viable route back into the match.
The Finish
With 11 needed from 20 balls at the start of the 17th over, the result was no longer in serious doubt. Curran launched a Potts full toss over wide long on for six, and Pooran settled matters with a boundary hit beyond mid off off the same bowler, finishing unbeaten on 58 from 22 balls to seal a seven-wicket win. Curran ended on 60 not out from 39 balls, having provided the platform from which Pooran launched his 2222222222.
Pooran was named Meerkat Match Hero for his innings, having come in at 51 for 3 and effectively decided the contest in the space of a few overs. MI London's victory was a statement performance with the bat, even if Sunrisers' bowling attack — led by Carse — had given them every opportunity to defend their total through the first half of the chase.
