Pooran's 58* Fires MI London to Seven-Wicket Win Over Sunrisers at the Kia Oval
Nicholas Pooran delivered one of the innings of The Hundred's opening weekend, striking an unbeaten 58 from just 22 balls to guide MI London to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers at the Kia Oval. MI London reached their target of 144 with 16 balls remaining, completing the chase with a boundary from Pooran off Matthew Potts that sealed the result in emphatic fashion.
A Turbulent Start for MI London
The chase began with Sunrisers' bowlers firmly on top. Brydon Carse was outstanding with the new ball, generating sharp pace and seam movement that left MI London's top order in immediate trouble. Will Jacks fell in the sixth ball of the innings, caught at cover by Benny Howell off Carse for 2, after being beaten by a delivery that angled in before seaming away as he attempted to work the ball to the leg side. Jason Roy, walking out on his 36th birthday, lasted just two deliveries before edging a Carse delivery through to Mitchell Marsh at slip for a duck. MI London were 8 for 2 after ten balls, and the chase of 144 already looked a considerable ask.
James Vince joined captain Sam Curran in the middle, and the two set about stabilising the innings against disciplined bowling from Carse, Potts, and subsequently Nathan Ellis. Neither batter found fluency easily. Vince was repeatedly troubled by Ellis, who nipped deliveries off a length with pace and accuracy. After a torturous 18-ball stay worth 17 runs, Vince was bowled by Ellis, his off stump clipped by a delivery that moved in sharply. MI London stood at 51 for 3 after 44 deliveries, still needing 93 more to win.
Pooran Changes the Complexion of the Chase
The arrival of Nicholas Pooran transformed the match. Curran had provided a steady foundation from the other end, and once the lights came on at the Kia Oval and the ball began to slide onto the bat, the equation shifted decisively in MI London's favour. Pooran took 14 balls to reach 25, attacking Benny Howell's slower deliveries with particular intent — sweeping and driving him for two fours and a six in rapid succession in the space of a single set of five balls.
Dan Lawrence's off-spin proved no more effective. Pooran launched him for a six over the boundary — though off an edge — and then continued to rotate the strike efficiently alongside Curran. The pair posted a fifty partnership from just 23 deliveries, shifting the momentum irrevocably away from Sunrisers.
Abrar Ahmed was introduced in an attempt to slow MI London down. He dismissed neither batter. Pooran swept him high over square leg for six, then slapped him over long on for another maximum in consecutive deliveries. By the end of that set of five balls, Pooran had reached his half-century from 19 deliveries — the fastest fifty in the franchise's history, spanning both the current MI London era and their previous identity as Oval Invincibles.
Curran's Quiet Authority
While Pooran commanded the attention, Sam Curran's knock deserves equal recognition. His unbeaten 60 from 39 balls was the anchor around which the entire chase was constructed. Curran hit five fours and two sixes, including a six launched over wide long on off a full toss from Potts when 11 runs were still required from 20 balls. He had been batting throughout the most difficult phase of the innings, negotiating Carse's early spell and then playing with increasing freedom as the required rate remained manageable. His half-century, reached off 34 deliveries, was described in commentary as a proper captain's knock — and the evidence across the innings supports that assessment.
The two left-handers combined for an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 93 runs from 40 deliveries, a partnership that effectively settled the match once it gathered momentum after the 50th ball of the innings.
Final Stages and the Winning Blow
Ellis bowled his final allocation without conceding the match but could not break the partnership. Potts returned for his final five deliveries with MI London needing 11 from 20 balls. Curran launched a full toss over wide long on for six, leaving the equation at five from 15. Pooran finished the game on the very next set, pulling a delivery beyond mid off's reach for four to complete the victory by seven wickets. A crowd of 20,540 at the Kia Oval witnessed a chase that, for all its early difficulty, was ultimately controlled and decisive once Pooran and Curran found their footing.
Sunrisers, who had done much right with the ball through Carse's early spell — he finished with 2 for 18 from his allotted 20 deliveries — had no answer to the combination of Curran's accumulation and Pooran's explosive hitting once the conditions eased under the floodlights.
