MLC 2026: Kieron Pollard holds nerve as MI New York edge Seattle Orcas in thriller

Kieron Pollard holds his nerve as MI New York edge Seattle Orcas Kieron Pollard held his nerve in a tense final as MI New York beat Seattle Orcas by five runs in a low-scoring thriller at Major League Cricket 2026 on Thursday.Defending a modest 132, MI New York survived a late scare to record a crucial win after Marcus Stoinis and Jasdeep Singh threatened to spark an unlikely Orcas chase.Earlier, Quinton de Kock anchored MI New York’s innings with a composed 61 off 46 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes. However, despite a strong start, MI New York struggled to keep pace in the second half of their innings as they only managed 132/8 from their 20 overs.After Monank Patel departed without scoring, de Kock and captain Nicholas Pooran leveled the innings with a partnership of 47 runs. Tajinder Dhillon chipped in with a useful 23, but Seattle’s bowlers defended brilliantly. Marcus Stoinis led the charge with figures of 3/14 while Ottneil Baartman and Jasdeep Singh claimed two wickets apiece to restrict MI New York.In response, the Seattle Orcas never found any rhythm. Trent Boult struck early by dismissing Shayan Jahangir while Corbin Bosch removed Matthew Breetzke as the Orcas slipped to 14/2.Romario Shepherd then produced a match-winning spell taking 3/16, including the wickets of Tim Seifert, Shehan Jayasuriya and Shimron Hetmyer.With wickets falling regularly, Stoinis emerged as Seattle’s lone warrior, scoring a determined 36 off 31 balls. However, the asking rate continued to rise.The contest took a dramatic turn in the penultimate over when Jasdeep Singh smashed Bouult for two fours and a six, leaving Seattle 14 runs from the final over. Stoinis raised hopes by launching Pollard’s first delivery for a six, but the veteran all-rounder had the last word. Romario Shepherd took a sharp catch to dismiss Stoinis before Pollard calmly closed the game, prompting jubilant celebrations from the MI New York players.