51 sixes in a match: MLC run-fest between Nicholas Pooran and Steve Smith’s team breaks KKR-PBKS record to become…

Nicholas Pooran. (Photo/Sportzpics) The Washington Freedom rewrote the record books on Wednesday with the highest successful run in T20 history as they chased down 267 to beat defending champions MI New York by six wickets in Eliminator 1 of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 at the Oakland Coliseum.The chase surpassed Punjab Kings’ successful chase of 265 against Delhi Capitals in the IPL earlier this year, making it the biggest chase ever completed in T20 cricket.The match turned into one of the highest scoring games in the MI New York format with 266, powered by Nicholas Pooran’s 31st ball. The Washington Freedom responded with a record-setting run as Andries Gous and Steven Smith led the way to keep their title hopes alive.The Freedom will now face the San Francisco Unicorns in Eliminator 2, with the winner taking on the LA Knight Riders in the MLC 2026 Finals.The competition also entered the record books by producing 51 sixes, the most ever in a T20 match and the first time a game has featured more than 50 maximums. MI New York cleared the ropes 29 times while Washington Freedom hit 22 sixes.The previous record was 42 sixes hit by Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings in IPL 2024 and was later equaled by Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the same year’s Caribbean Premier League.MI New York’s 29 sixes also became the most by a team in one innings in MLC history, surpassing the previous record of 28 set by the San Francisco Unicorns against the Washington Freedom in Oakland in 2025.Pooran’s hundred came in just 31 balls, making it the fastest century in MLC history and the second fastest in T20 cricket. Only Chris Gayle’s 30-ball hundred for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Pune Warriors India in the 2013 IPL was faster. The previous MLC record was held by Finn Allen, who reached the milestone in 34 tackles last year.The game also produced 536 runs, the second highest in T20 history. Only the 549-run contest between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024 saw more runs scored in a T20 match.Washington Freedom’s win came despite Pooran’s record innings as Gous and Smith guided their side to one of the biggest wins the format has witnessed. The match also featured the joint second-highest partnership in T20 history, a stand of 241 runs, adding another record to a game that broke several milestones.