Major League Cricket 2026 continued with two commanding victories in Texas. Nicholas Pooran produced a captain’s innings to steer MI New York back to winning ways, while LA Knight Riders delivered one of the most complete performances of the season to dismantle Seattle Orcas.
MI New York bounced back from their opening defeat with an eight-wicket win over Texas Super Kings, chasing down 159 with 14 balls to spare. Earlier, LA Knight Riders had overwhelmed Seattle Orcas by 81 runs in a one-sided contest built on explosive batting and disciplined bowling.
For MI New York, the turnaround began with the ball. After electing to field, the team struck early through Trent Boult, who removed Smit Patel with the first ball of the innings before dismissing Rilee Rossouw shortly after. The breakthrough also saw Boult become the first bowler in Major League Cricket history to reach 50 wickets.
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Texas struggled to establish momentum despite a valuable 65-run partnership between Milind Kumar and Shubham Ranjane. Milind made 39 while Ranjane fell agonizingly short of a half-century, departing for 49. Corbin Bosch proved the difference-maker, finishing with outstanding figures of 4 for 29, while Boult added 3 for 18 as Texas were bowled out for 158 in 19.2 overs.
MI New York’s chase was controlled from the outset. Quinton de Kock provided early impetus with 26 off 16 balls before Monank Patel anchored the innings with a composed 46. The platform allowed captain Nicholas Pooran to dictate proceedings, and the West Indies star delivered in style.
Pooran remained unbeaten on 68 from 46 balls, striking six boundaries and three sixes as he guided the chase with authority. He reached his half-century with a towering six and calmly saw his side home alongside Kieron Pollard, sealing victory with 14 deliveries remaining.
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A day earlier, LA Knight Riders produced a statement performance against Seattle Orcas.
Batting first, the Knight Riders built steadily through contributions from Colin Munro (30), Andre Fletcher (40), Jason Holder (23) and Sunil Narine. The innings, however, exploded in the closing overs thanks to Rovman Powell, whose breathtaking 37 from just 11 deliveries included five towering sixes and propelled LAKR to 196.
Seattle’s reply never gained traction.
Narine struck early, while Carmi le Roux, Shadley van Schalkwyk and Andre Russell maintained relentless pressure. The Orcas slipped to 39 for 4 inside the powerplay and never recovered. Harmeet Singh’s 25 was the highest score of the innings as wickets continued to tumble.
Van Schalkwyk claimed 3 for 17, Russell took 3 for 8, and Narine delivered an economical spell of 2 for 18 as Seattle were bowled out for just 115 in 15.3 overs.
The contrasting victories strengthened the positions of both MI New York and LA Knight Riders as the tournament gathers momentum. While Pooran’s leadership and Bosch’s all-round influence reignited MI New York’s campaign, LAKR’s emphatic win showcased the depth and firepower that could make them one of the teams to beat this season.