Washington Freedom (WF) continued their impressive run in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 with a commanding five-wicket victory over MI New York (MINY) in the 29th match of the tournament. Chasing 188 at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Freedom recovered from an early setback through a stunning partnership between Andries Gous and Rachin Ravindra before completing the chase with nine balls to spare.
Earlier, MI New York captain Nicholas Pooran played a sensational innings after his side suffered early blows, but Washington’s disciplined bowling effort at the death ensured the target remained within reach. The victory helped Freedom move to second place on the MLC 2026 points table.
Andries Gous and Rachin Ravindra headline Washington Freedom’s superb chase
Washington Freedom endured a shaky start after losing Mitchell Owen and Steven Smith inside the opening three overs. Shakib Al Hasan dismissed Owen before Trent Boult removed Smith, leaving Freedom struggling at 13/2. However, Gous and Ravindra turned the contest completely in Washington’s favour with a brilliant 116-run partnership for the third wicket. Ravindra took the aggressive route, smashing 60 off just 30 deliveries, including five fours and two sixes, to put the pressure back on the MI New York bowlers.
At the other end, Gous anchored the chase to perfection. The wicketkeeper-batter remained composed throughout his innings, hammering 96 off 54 balls with the help of four boundaries and eight towering sixes. Although he fell just four runs short of a deserved century, he had already taken Freedom to the brink of victory before the remaining batters completed the chase in 18.3 overs.
Nicholas Pooran’s valiant 86 not enough for MI New York
Asked to bat first, MI New York suffered early setbacks as Quinton de Kock and Monank Patel departed inside the powerplay. Skipper Pooran then launched a superb counterattack alongside Kunwarjeet Singh to rebuild the innings. The pair stitched together a crucial 90-run stand for the third wicket, with Pooran reaching his half-century in just 31 deliveries. The left-hander eventually scored a brilliant 86 off 44 balls, keeping MI New York on course for a total beyond 190.
However, Washington Freedom pulled things back brilliantly after Pooran’s dismissal at the start of the 16th over. MI New York managed only 37 runs in the final five overs to finish on 187/8. Saurabh Netravalkar and Ben Dwarshuis were the standout bowlers, returning identical figures of 2/29 to restrict the opposition during the closing stages.
With both teams already assured of playoff qualification, Washington Freedom will take plenty of confidence from this comprehensive victory as they head into the knockout stage, while MI New York will look to iron out their finishing issues before the business end of the tournament.
An excellent win in the end for the Washington Freedom after losing both openers cheaply 🙌#MLC2026 #WashingtonFreedom pic.twitter.com/CNGIEj851H
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) July 13, 2026
