Nicholas Pooran produced one of the defining innings of this early Hundred season, striking an unbeaten 58 from just 22 balls to carry MI London to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers at the Kia Oval, with 16 balls remaining. Chasing 144, MI London were wobbling at 51 for three after 44 deliveries before Pooran's arrival changed the complexion of the match entirely. A crowd of 20,540 witnessed the Sunrisers' bowlers rendered increasingly helpless as the West Indian and captain Sam Curran — who finished unbeaten on 60 from 39 balls — assembled an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 93 in just 40 balls to seal the win.
Sunrisers Make Early Inroads
Sunrisers' decision to persist with Brydon Carse at the start of MI London's chase paid swift dividends. Carse had bowled 15 of the first 20 balls and, by the end of his tenth delivery, had reduced MI London to eight for two. Will Jacks was the first to go in the sixth ball of the innings, attempting to launch over the leg side but beaten by movement off the seam, spooning a catch to Benny Howell at cover. Carse was credited with the wicket: Jacks caught Howell bowled Carse for two. Just two deliveries later, on his 36th birthday, Jason Roy lasted only a further two balls — edging a delivery that seamed away sharply through to Mitchell Marsh at slip for a duck.
Sam Curran and James Vince steadied proceedings through a watchful period, navigating Carse, Matthew Potts, and Nathan Ellis as the required rate climbed. Vince batted 18 balls for 17 runs before Ellis finally removed him, the ball nipping back to take out off stump. MI London were 51 for three, still needing 93 from 56 balls, when Pooran walked to the crease.
Pooran and Curran Take Control
Pooran wasted no time in establishing his intent. He reached his half-century from only 19 balls — the fastest fifty in the franchise's history across its previous incarnation as Oval Invincibles and the current MI London era — before being dismissed shortly after with the match already won. Sam Curran, meanwhile, had been providing a composed anchor from the other end, accumulating steadily before accelerating once the lights came on and the ball began to skid through more consistently.
The partnership gathered momentum through the slower bowling options. Against Benny Howell, Pooran collected 14 runs from three consecutive deliveries — a four, a six, and another four — to shift the match firmly in MI London's favour. The 21 runs plundered from Abrar Ahmed's tenth over, including back-to-back sixes from Pooran, effectively ended Sunrisers' challenge. Dan Lawrence's off-spin brought further boundary hitting, and by the time Matthew Potts returned for his final five-ball allocation, the equation had been reduced to 11 from 20 balls.
Curran's contribution was equally significant. His innings featured five fours and two sixes, and his half-century arrived from 34 deliveries. A six over wide long on off a full toss from Potts left 11 needed from 20, and Pooran completed the formalities in the very next over, launching Potts beyond mid off to complete the victory with the minimum of ceremony. The 50-run stand between the pair had come from just 23 deliveries.
Carse's Figures Set in Context
For Sunrisers, Brydon Carse finished with two wickets for 18 runs from his full 20-ball allocation — comfortably the most economical effort from any bowler on either side. Nathan Ellis took one wicket for 22. Potts, Howell, Abrar Ahmed, and Lawrence all went wicketless, and the collective inability to halt the Pooran-Curran stand ultimately proved decisive. Sunrisers had done enough with the ball in the first half of the innings to place MI London under pressure; the failure to take wickets once the platform was established allowed the chase to slip beyond their reach.
Pooran, named the Meerkat Match Hero, described the innings as one shaped by patience before the conditions changed. He noted that Vince and Curran had weathered the difficult early period and that the arrival of the floodlights shifted the balance. Curran, too, was recognised as central to the chase — his 60 not out from 39 balls described in commentary as a proper captain's knock. MI London's skipper Sam Curran acknowledged the quality of Pooran's innings, noting that batting against the West Indian from the opposition's perspective would be a daunting prospect at the Kia Oval.
The result gives MI London a winning start to their Hundred campaign and will provide considerable confidence given the size of the recovery required after losing three wickets inside the first nine overs of the chase.
