Boult, Bosch and Pooran hand MI New York first points

Defending champions MI New York shrugged off the disappointment of their opening-game defeat to register their first win of the MLC 2026 season, beating Texas Super Kings by eight wickets in the final game of the tournament's opening leg at the Grand Prairie Stadium. A clinical bowling effort led by Trent Boult and Corbin Bosch laid the foundation before Nicholas Pooran anchored a composed chase of 158 with an unbeaten 68.

Having been at the receiving end of Mitchell Owen's record-shattering innings less than 24 hours earlier, MINY arrived needing a response. They got one almost immediately through Boult, whose new-ball mastery once again came to the fore. The left-arm seamer removed Smit Patel in the opening over and then sent back Rilee Rossouw with a delivery that jagged in sharply, leaving Texas reeling at 20 for 2.

The Super Kings, who were without captain Faf du Plessis (back spasm), never quite recovered from the early damage. Bosch joined the act before the end of the Powerplay to leave them 36 for 3, forcing a rebuild. Milind Kumar and Shubham Ranjane steadied the innings with a partnership worth 65, briefly giving Texas hope of a competitive finish. But every time the innings threatened to gather momentum, MINY found a way to halt it.

Ranjane fell one short of a fifty, while Bosch struck at crucial moments to remove Donovan Ferreira and Wiaan Mulder. Boult's opening burst had ensured TSK were chasing the game from the outset, and Bosch's disciplined spell through the middle and death overs prevented any late acceleration. The innings eventually folded for 158 with four deliveries remaining.

MINY's pursuit began in emphatic fashion. Quinton de Kock immediately put the bowlers under pressure, taking on Akeal Hosein in the opening over for two fours and a six. Texas were then left to rue a costly missed opportunity when Monank Patel was spilled by Amishi de Silva in the third over.

The reprieve proved expensive. Monank and de Kock added a brisk opening stand of 49 before the former stitched together another productive 64-run partnership with Pooran. While de Kock provided the early impetus, Pooran played the situation expertly, ensuring there were no stumbles in the chase.

Monank departed for 46 after helping reduce the equation significantly, leaving Pooran to finish the job. The MINY captain initially accumulated at a measured pace before shifting gears at the back end, finding boundaries with increasing regularity as the target drew closer. His unbeaten 68 ensured there would be no late drama, with MINY crossing the line with 14 balls to spare.

Brief scores: Texas Super Kings 158 in 19.2 overs (Shubham Ranjane 49, Milind Kumar 39; Corbin Bosch 4-29, Trent Boult 3-18) lost to MI New York 162/2 in 17.4 overs (Nicholas Pooran 68*, Monank Patel 46; Hardus Viljoen 1-29) by eight wickets.