MI London's opening fixture at the Kia Oval could have unravelled in the first ten balls. Instead, a combination of composed middle-order batting and the devastating form of Nicholas Pooran carried them to a seven-wicket win over Sunrisers with 16 balls to spare, chasing a target of 144.
The Collapse That Wasn't Allowed to Define the Night
The top of MI London's batting order offered very little. Will Jacks lasted three balls, caught at cover off Brydon Carse for 2 after being drawn into a shot against a delivery that angled in before seaming away. Jason Roy, celebrating his 36th birthday, made no impact at all — caught at slip by Mitchell Marsh off the same bowler for a duck. His dismissal came from an outstanding delivery that found the edge with sharp pace and movement away from the right-hander.
At 8 for 2 with 136 required from 90 deliveries, MI London needed their senior batters to take responsibility. Sam Curran, the team's captain, came in and immediately set the tone for how the innings needed to unfold. He did not attempt to accelerate recklessly. He rotated strike, defended when necessary, and hit boundaries when they were offered — picking up two fours in the opening phase against Carse and Potts as he and James Vince attempted to build a platform.
Vince offered moments of quality — a short-arm pull off Potts was among the cleaner strokes early — but his innings never truly found fluency. He eventually fell to Nathan Ellis for 17 from 18 balls, bowled as the ball nipped in sharply from outside off, leaving MI London at 51 for 3 after 44 deliveries with 93 still required.
Curran Holds the Innings Together
Curran's role in the chase was foundational. While Pooran generated the match-winning momentum, Curran was the player who kept the innings together from the outset, occupying the crease through the difficult phase and then accelerating once the conditions eased. By ball 65, he had reached 41 from 30 deliveries. Shortly afterwards, a skewed drive off Abrar Ahmed that fell beyond the fielders took him to 51 from 34 — described in commentary as a proper captain's knock.
He continued hitting cleanly from there: a full toss from Potts was launched over wide long on for six, and he remained unbeaten on 60 from 39 at the close. His partnership with Pooran produced the runs needed to win the match and did so at a rate that made the final stages comfortable rather than nervy.
Pooran Changes the Match
Nicholas Pooran arrived at the crease at 51 for 3 after 44 deliveries. From that point, MI London's innings became something different altogether. His first scoring shot against Howell was a four to fine leg; the next ball was a six over long on. Against Lawrence he hit another six. Against Abrar he hit two sixes in two balls. Against Potts, a six over deep midwicket arrived from only his ninth ball. The fifty partnership between Pooran and Curran came from just 23 deliveries.
Pooran brought up his fifty from 19 balls — the fastest in the franchise's history across its Oval Invincibles and MI London incarnations — and finished unbeaten on 58 from 22 balls. He struck four fours and five sixes in that innings. He hit the winning runs himself, launching Matthew Potts over mid off with 16 balls remaining.
For MI London, the result serves as a significant early statement. They absorbed early pressure without losing their structure, relied on their captain to anchor the chase, and then watched one of the most destructive short-form batters in the world take the game away from their opponents. The team's ability to recover from 8 for 2 and still win with more than two overs remaining reflects both resilience and quality in their batting order.
