Defending champions MI New York opened their account in the MLC 2026 with an eight-wicket win over Texas Super Kings in the final match of the opening round at the Grand Prairie Stadium on Monday (IST).The win was anchored by a strong bowling display led by Trent Boult and Corbin Bosch before the captain Nicholas Pooran he led the chase with an unbeaten 68.Defeated in their opening game, MI New York needed a response and they got it quickly through Boult. The left-arm pacer dismissed Smit Patel in the first over and then dismissed Rilee Rossouw with a hard return ball, reducing Texas to 20 for 2.Texas, who were without their regular captain Faf du Plessis due to back injury, struggled to recover from the early setbacks. Bosch struck before the end of the Powerplay to leave them at 36 for 3.Milind Kumar and Shubham Ranjane tied the innings with a 65-run partnership and briefly brought back Texas. However, MI New York only took wickets. Ranjane came close to chasing a half-century, with Bosch dismissing Donovan Ferreira and Wiaan Mulder to end any late charge.Boult’s early success and Bosch’s control in the middle and death overs ensured that Texas did not win. The innings ended on 158, with four balls to spare.MI New York started a strong chase. Quinton de Kock attacked from the start as he took Akeal Hosein in the first over with four fours and a six. Texas then missed a big chance when Monank Patel was dropped by Amishi de Silva in the third over.The missed opportunity cost a lot of money. Monank and de Kock added 49 runs for the opening wicket before Monank and Pooran put on another partnership of 64 runs. While de Kock provided the early runs, Pooran chased carefully and ensured that there were no obstacles.Monank were dismissed for 46 after bringing their target to completion. Pooran then took control, adding to the score as the end approached. His unbeaten 68 helped MI New York complete the chase with 14 balls to spare and secure their first win of the season.
