Nicholas Pooran delivered one of the most explosive innings seen at the Kia Oval this season, stroking an unbeaten 58 from just 22 balls to steer MI London to a commanding seven-wicket win over Sunrisers with 16 balls remaining. Chasing a target of 144, MI London overhauled the total with considerable authority once Pooran arrived at the crease, finishing the match in a partnership that left the crowd of 20,540 on their feet.
Sunrisers Make Early Inroads With the Ball
The chase began with Sunrisers firmly in control. Brydon Carse set the tone with a hostile opening spell, bowling with pace and movement that troubled the MI London top order from the outset. He removed Will Jacks in the sixth delivery of the innings, angling a ball into the stumps before it seamed away — Jacks attempted to launch the ball to leg but was beaten by the movement, spooning a catch to Benny Howell at cover. Jacks departed for 2 from 3 balls.
Carse kept the pressure on and, two deliveries later, had Jason Roy caught at slip for a duck on his 36th birthday. The delivery seamed away sharply and Roy could only fend a thick edge through to Mitchell Marsh in the cordon. MI London were reduced to 8 for 2 after just 10 balls, with 136 still required from 90 deliveries.
Carse's opening burst of 10 balls yielded figures of 2 for 8, and he was brought back to bowl 15 of the first 20 balls of the innings. Across his full allocation, he finished with 2 for 18 from 20 balls — a miserly and impactful return that gave Sunrisers every opportunity to defend their total.
Vince and Curran Steady the Innings
James Vince and Sam Curran came together in difficult conditions, with the pitch described as slow early on and the scoreboard pressure mounting. The two batters worked through the middle phase steadily, rotating strike and waiting for the right deliveries to attack. Vince accumulated 17 from 18 balls, finding boundaries through pulls and inside edges before Nathan Ellis bowled him with a delivery that nipped in sharply and took out off stump. MI London were 51 for 3 after 44 deliveries, still needing 93 to win.
Curran, meanwhile, continued to build. The MI London skipper played a controlled and increasingly assertive innings, reaching his half-century from 34 deliveries. He hit sixes off Abrar Ahmed and Benny Howell, and drove boundaries with authority as the innings progressed. His knock of 60 from 39 balls — including five fours and two sixes — provided the platform that Pooran needed.
Pooran Takes Control
From the moment Pooran arrived at the crease, the match shifted decisively in MI London's favour. He came in at 51 for 3 and immediately attacked the slower bowlers. Off Howell, he struck three boundaries in quick succession — a four to fine leg, a six over long on, and another four with a well-timed slog sweep. He then targeted Abrar Ahmed, sweeping one six high over square leg and slapping another over long on in the same over.
Pooran reached his half-century from just 19 balls, the fastest fifty in the franchise's history across its previous incarnation as Oval Invincibles and the current MI London setup. The lights at the Kia Oval had come on, and as Pooran later noted, the ball began to slide on to the bat more readily as the evening progressed — conditions that suited his aggressive approach perfectly.
The fifty partnership between Pooran and Curran arrived from just 23 deliveries, with the pair adding runs at a rate that left Sunrisers without answers. Matthew Potts returned to try to stem the flow but was hit for a six off a length ball by Pooran and a six over wide long on by Curran. Dan Lawrence's off-spin was similarly treated, with Pooran depositing one delivery into the sky and guiding the chase to within reach.
MI London Close Out the Win
With 11 needed from the final 20 balls and both set batters at the crease, the result was never in doubt. Curran launched a Potts full toss over wide long on for six, and Pooran finished the match in the following over — cutting a Matthew Potts delivery beyond mid off to reach the boundary and seal the win by seven wickets with 16 balls to spare.
Pooran was named the Meerkat Match Hero for his innings of 58 not out from 22 balls. He reflected on the partnership with Curran as the key moment, noting that the two batters had tried to stay positive while waiting for the conditions to shift under the floodlights. He also acknowledged the presence of his family in the stands, describing scoring a fifty in front of them as a memorable moment.
MI London skipper Sam Curran, who also contributed with the bat, acknowledged Pooran's quality directly, noting that he had experienced being on the receiving end of such an innings himself. Sunrisers, despite a disciplined start with the ball, had no answer once the MI London lower-middle order clicked into gear. The result leaves MI London with a positive opening to their campaign at the Kia Oval.
