MI London completed a seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers at the Kia Oval on Tuesday evening, chasing down a target of 144 with 16 balls remaining. Nicholas Pooran, named the Meerkat Match Hero for his unbeaten 58 from 22 deliveries, combined with captain Sam Curran, who finished on 60 not out from 39 balls, to turn a precarious middle-innings situation into a commanding win in front of a crowd of 20,540.

Sunrisers Strike Early to Leave MI in Trouble

MI London's chase began under pressure. Brydon Carse, bowling continuously from the first over, made an immediate impact by removing Will Jacks in the sixth delivery of the innings. Jacks attempted to play across the line to a delivery that angled in before seaming away, and the ball spooned to Benny Howell at cover for a two-ball duck. Three balls later, on Jason Roy's 36th birthday, Carse struck again — generating sharp pace and seam movement away from Roy, who could only edge through to Mitchell Marsh at slip. Roy departed for a first-ball duck. Carse's opening burst of ten consecutive deliveries produced figures of 2 for 8, and MI London were 8 for 2 inside the first two overs of their reply.

James Vince joined Sam Curran in the middle with 136 still required from 90 balls. The pair worked steadily through a difficult phase, negotiating Carse, Matthew Potts, and the spin of Benny Howell and Abrar Ahmed with patience rather than aggression. Curran collected boundaries where available, including a four off the edge through backward point early in his innings, while Vince occupied the crease without ever settling fully. The stand reached 41 before Nathan Ellis, returning to the attack, found the edge of Vince's bat with a delivery that nipped in with pace to remove off stump. Vince was bowled for 17 from 18 balls, leaving MI at 51 for 3 after 44 deliveries and requiring 93 more from 56.

Pooran Changes the Complexion of the Chase

Nicholas Pooran arrived at the crease and immediately shifted the tenor of the innings. In just his third delivery he drove out to deep cover, and within six balls he had already struck a four through fine leg and a six over long on off Benny Howell's slower deliveries. Three boundaries in the 55th over of the innings — a four to fine leg, a six over long on, and another four swept to the same region — took 14 runs from Howell's over and swung the required run rate firmly in MI's favour.

Dan Lawrence's off-spin brought some resistance. A full delivery outside off was driven to deep cover, and Lawrence tested Pooran with a quicker, skidding delivery that forced an improvised response. But Pooran found the boundary again with a heave that barely cleared the rope, and a single rotating the strike kept Curran involved. By the end of the 60th-over strategic timeout, MI needed 56 from 40 with Pooran on 25 from nine balls and Curran on 37 from 28.

Potts returned to bowl his final five and conceded 11 in the over, including a six over deep midwicket off a length delivery from Pooran, who was by now in irresistible form. Abrar Ahmed came back into the attack and Curran greeted him with a six bludgeoned over straight midwicket, followed by two more sixes from Pooran — one swept high over square leg, the other slapped over long on — as 21 runs came from the 75th-ball over. At that stage MI needed 17 from 25 balls.

The Fifty Stand and the Finish

A ball change was introduced and Ellis returned. Pooran brought up the fifty partnership from just 23 deliveries with a top-spin cut beyond point, and then reached his own fifty from 19 balls — the fastest half-century in the franchise's history across both its iterations. A tickle around the corner off Ellis' final delivery took Pooran to 54, and Curran continued to accumulate, reaching his own half-century from 34 balls with a skewed two off Abrar Ahmed.

With 11 needed from 20 balls, Curran launched a full toss from Potts over wide long on for six. The equation was reduced to a formality, and Pooran ended the match on the very next over, cracking a four beyond mid off from a Potts delivery to seal victory by seven wickets with 16 balls to spare. Pooran finished unbeaten on 58 from 22 deliveries, his innings containing four fours and five sixes. Curran remained not out on 60 from 39, with five fours and two sixes.

Carse's 2 for 18 from his full allocation was the standout bowling effort for Sunrisers, while Ellis took 1 for 22. The spin of Howell and Abrar Ahmed went wicketless, and Potts and Lawrence were similarly unable to dent the fourth-wicket partnership once it was established. Sunrisers, who had set what appeared a competitive target of 144, ultimately had no answers to the power of Pooran and the composure of Curran once the lights came on and the ball began to travel more freely at the Kia Oval.