MI London produced a composed and ultimately devastating run-chase at the Kia Oval on Tuesday evening, overhauling a target of 144 with seven wickets in hand and 16 balls remaining. The victory was built on a fourth-wicket partnership between captain Sam Curran and Nicholas Pooran, who arrived at the crease with the innings in a delicate state and left it in no doubt.
Sunrisers Make Early Inroads
Brydon Carse set the tone for Sunrisers with the new ball, bowling unchanged through the first ten overs and removing both openers in quick succession. Will Jacks was the first to go in the sixth over, attempting to launch over the leg side but beaten by movement off the seam, spooning a catch to Benny Howell at cover. Carse had angled the delivery into the stumps before it seamed away, and Jacks had no answer. Just two balls later, on his 36th birthday, Jason Roy edged a lifting delivery through to Mitchell Marsh at slip for a duck, the thick outside edge a consequence of sharp pace and precise line from Carse.
MI London were 8 for 2 after ten balls, and the asking rate, already modest in the abstract, had taken on a sharper edge. Carse finished his allocation with 2 for 18, a performance that gave Sunrisers every reason for optimism at the midway point.
Vince and Curran Weather the Pressure
James Vince joined Sam Curran in the middle and the two set about steadying the chase. Neither batter found their timing easily on a surface described in the broadcast commentary as slow in the early stages. Vince worked for his runs, accumulating 17 from 18 balls before Nathan Ellis bowled him through the gate in the 45th ball of the innings, a delivery that nipped in with pace to remove off stump. Vince had been beaten all ends up by a similar ball the delivery before, and Ellis made no mistake second time around.
That wicket left MI London at 51 for 3 after 44 deliveries, needing 93 from 56 balls. Curran remained, having ground out 26 from 21 deliveries, and Nicholas Pooran walked to the crease.
Pooran Changes the Match
What followed was an exhibition of striking that rendered the target academic. Pooran immediately targeted the slower bowlers. Against Benny Howell, he hit consecutive boundaries — a four over fine leg, a six over long on, and another four through fine leg — taking 14 from three balls to announce himself. When Dan Lawrence introduced his off-spin, Pooran launched a six that, in the words of the commentary, kissed the moon before landing just inside the boundary rope.
The introduction of Abrar Ahmed brought no relief for Sunrisers. Pooran swept a full delivery high over square leg for six, then slapped a flighted ball over long on for another maximum in consecutive deliveries. Those two blows, both in the 75th over of the innings, moved Pooran to 49 from 17 balls and effectively settled the contest.
The fastest fifty in the franchise's history — 19 balls, encompassing both the current MI London era and the previous Oval Invincibles seasons — came from a Nathan Ellis delivery nudged to deep cover. By that point, the stand between Pooran and Curran had already surpassed 50 from just 23 deliveries, and Sunrisers had cycled through their options without finding an answer.
Curran's Contribution
While Pooran claimed the headlines, Curran's innings underpinned the chase. The MI London skipper reached his own half-century — 51 from 34 deliveries — from a skied two off Abrar Ahmed, and continued to strike cleanly as the target shrank. A full toss from Matthew Potts was launched over wide long on for six with 11 needed from 20 balls, and Curran finished unbeaten on 60 from 39 deliveries.
The partnership between the two left-handers accumulated at a rate Sunrisers could not contain once the lights came on and the ball began to skid through more freely, a change in conditions that Pooran himself acknowledged in the post-match interview.
The Finish
Pooran sealed the victory in the 84th ball of the innings, launching Matthew Potts beyond the reach of the man at mid off to reach 58 not out from 22 deliveries, his innings containing four fours and five sixes. MI London reached 144 for 3 with 16 balls to spare, winning by seven wickets in front of an announced attendance of 20,540 at the Kia Oval.
Sunrisers, who had bowled with discipline and aggression in the powerplay phase, ultimately had no answer to the Pooran-Curran partnership. Carse's early double-wicket burst had given them a foundation, but the middle and lower bowling options were exposed once the pitch quickened under the floodlights. MI London's win was the opening match of the Hundred men's competition, with the women's and men's fixtures between Southern Brave and Welsh Fire scheduled for the following day.
