Nicholas Pooran delivered one of the most explosive innings of the early Hundred season, striking an unbeaten 58 from just 22 balls to drive MI London to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers at the Kia Oval, reaching a target of 144 with 16 balls remaining in front of a crowd of 20,540.
Sunrisers Make Early Inroads With the Ball
Sunrisers set MI London a target of 144, and their bowlers made a lively start in the chase. Brydon Carse was the standout with the ball, taking two wickets in the first ten balls of the innings to reduce MI London to 8 for 2. Will Jacks departed for 2, caught by Benny Howell at cover off Carse after being beaten by movement off the seam. Jason Roy, playing on his 36th birthday, followed immediately without scoring, edging to Mitchell Marsh at slip as Carse generated sharp seam away from the right-hander.
James Vince and Sam Curran steadied the innings in a measured second-wicket stand, rotating strike and absorbing pressure as Carse, Matthew Potts, and Nathan Ellis maintained tight lines. The pitch played slowly in the early stages, and MI London reached the halfway mark at 49 for 2, still needing 95 from the remaining 60 balls. Vince fell to Ellis for 17, bowled through the gate when a delivery nipped in sharply and removed his off stump.
Pooran and Curran Change the Match
Pooran arrived at 51 for 3 after 44 deliveries and immediately shifted the dynamic of the chase. Curran, already set on 26 from 21 balls, complemented his new partner as the pair put on a fifty stand from just 23 deliveries. The match turned significantly when the floodlights came on, the ball began sliding through more freely, and both left-handers took full advantage.
Against Benny Howell, Pooran struck three boundaries in a single set of five balls — a four over fine leg, a six over long on, and another four off the pads — to accelerate the asking rate sharply. Dan Lawrence's offbreaks were treated with similar contempt, Pooran launching one delivery high over the boundary sponge for six. Against Abrar Ahmed, he struck consecutive sixes — one swept high over square leg, the next slapped over long on — to put the match beyond Sunrisers' reach.
Curran, meanwhile, was equally commanding. He struck a full toss from Potts over wide long on for six, drove Lawrence hard inside long on for four, and reached his fifty from 34 deliveries with a skewed boundary beyond point. Described as a proper captain's knock in the commentary, Curran finished unbeaten on 60 from 39 balls.
Pooran Reaches Fifty and Seals the Win
Pooran brought up his fifty from just 19 deliveries against Ellis, becoming the fastest half-centurion in MI London's franchise history across both their previous incarnation as Oval Invincibles and the current season. He sealed the victory in the 17th set of five balls, launching a Potts delivery beyond mid off to complete a win by seven wickets.
His innings contained four fours and five sixes. Carse finished as Sunrisers' most economical bowler with figures of 2 for 18 from his allocation of 20 balls, while Ellis took 1 for 22. Howell, Lawrence, and Abrar Ahmed went wicketless as the MI London batting pair rendered their efforts insufficient in the final third of the chase.
Speaking after the match, Pooran was named Meerkat Match Hero. He credited the platform built by Curran and Vince in the middle passage of the innings, acknowledged the pitch's early slowness, and noted that once the floodlights arrived and a foundation was established, the target became achievable. Curran, reflecting on Pooran's knock, said he had been on the wrong end of similar hitting before and expected the West Indian to enjoy batting at the Kia Oval.
The victory gave MI London a winning start to their Hundred campaign, with the performance underscoring the damage Pooran and Curran can inflict in tandem once the powerplay and middle-overs pressure has been navigated.
