International Cricket

MLC 2026 MI New York vs Seattle Orcas — Nicholas Pooran's 9-Six Cameo Decoded

Karthik Menon 15 May 2026 Updated 15 May 2026 ~5 min read ~979 words

Nicholas Pooran pulling for six in MI New York kit

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Nicholas Pooran has been MI New York's biggest signing since the MLC franchise launched in 2023. Across two and a half seasons he's averaged 38 in 28 matches at strike rate 174. The 2026 Week 2 fixture against Seattle Orcas at Brooklyn was supposed to be a routine chase — MI needed 171 to win and had Pooran with the strike at the death. What followed was a 32-ball cameo of 71 with nine sixes. Pooran took on Seattle's spin twins Wanindu Hasaranga and Cameron Boyce, hit eight sixes off the two of them between them, and finished the match in the 18th over with five balls to spare.

Phase one: the chase setup

Seattle had posted 170 for 7 in their 20 overs, with Andre Russell making 41 off 22 and Quinton de Kock 38 off 31. The total was below par for Brooklyn — the venue average is 175. MI New York started fast through Quinton du Toit (yes, the second Quinton playing in the same match), who made 28 off 15 before falling to Hasaranga.

Pooran walked in at the eighth over with the score 65 for 2 and the asking rate at 8.0. He took 11 balls to get to 12, picking off singles against Hasaranga and waiting for the boundary. Hardik Pandya, who joined MI for two matches in MLC 2026 as a guest player, was at the other end and added 14 of his own in 10 balls.

What the numbers say

Pooran's 71 off 32 was the highest strike-rate fifty-plus innings in MLC 2026 so far. Phase one (balls 1-11): 12 runs at strike rate 109, no boundaries. Phase two (balls 12-32): 59 runs at strike rate 281, nine sixes and two fours.

The matchup data was the headline. Against Wanindu Hasaranga in the same innings: 21 off 7 balls, four sixes. Against Cameron Boyce: 18 off 5 balls, four sixes. Against Aaron Hardie: 12 off 8 balls, one six. Against the Seattle pacers combined: 20 off 12 balls. Pooran had targeted the spin matchups from the team meeting.

The matchup grid against the spin twins

Wanindu Hasaranga had been Seattle's premier spinner across two seasons. He took 4 wickets in the 2025 final and was the team's designated leg-spinner. The 2026 Brooklyn match showed Pooran's plan to break the matchup. He played Hasaranga deep in the crease, picking the wrong'un from the hand, and hitting through the line.

The 14th over of the MI chase was bowled by Hasaranga. Pooran was on 24 not out. Hasaranga opened with the stock leg-spinner — Pooran slog-swept for six over deep midwicket. The next ball was the googly — Pooran read it, came down the track, and hit over wide long-on for six. The third ball was the slider — Pooran reverse-swept for two. The over went for 19.

The 16th over from Cameron Boyce was the kill. Pooran hit 4-6-6-1-6-1 in the over — 24 runs and the match was effectively over. The required rate had dropped from 9.0 to 4.5 in two overs.

What the chase looked like in run-rate terms

MI New York's chase started at an asking rate of 8.5. After the powerplay it was 8.7. After Pooran came in it was 8.0. After the 14th over (Hasaranga's 19-run over) it was 6.4. After the 16th over (Boyce's 24-run over) it was 3.0. The match was finished in the 18th over with five balls to spare.

The wider Pooran trend now is that his fifty-plus innings in 2026 have a higher percentage of sixes than any other player in the format. The 9 sixes in this innings are the second most by any MLC player in a single innings (after Aaron Finch's 11 sixes in 2024).

What it means for MI New York

MI go to 1-1 in MLC 2026. The Hardik Pandya signing for two matches has been a positive — he made 25 off 17 in the chase and his right-arm seam took 2 for 24. The MI bowling unit is unbalanced — they lean on Tymal Mills and Jason Holder at the death, and the spin pair of Hayden Walsh Jr and Cyril Mahuva have struggled.

For Seattle the Brooklyn match is a wake-up call. Hasaranga went for 39 off 4 overs and Cameron Boyce 41 off 3. The leg-spin matchup against Pooran is one Seattle didn't have a plan for. They'll need to find a way to bowl seam against MI New York's top order.

The forward view

MI New York host LA Knight Riders at Brooklyn on May 19. Pooran vs Sunil Narine in the middle overs will be the matchup. Narine takes ball away from the left-hander and is the spinner most likely to control Pooran.

Seattle Orcas travel to face Washington Freedom at Grand Prairie on May 20. They will need a top-order win to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

What to watch next: Nicholas Pooran vs Sunil Narine in MI New York vs LA Knight Riders on May 19 — the only spinner the Caribbean star hasn't broken yet.