WF VS MINY T20S

And that's a wrap for today's thrilling match in the MLC 2025! Get ready for the next electrifying contest between Seattle Orcas and Los Angeles Knight Riders on Sunday at 8 pm GMT. Tune in an hour early to catch all the pre-match excitement! Until then, stay tuned and cheers!

Mitchell Owen, the Player of the Match, described his approach as simple and consistent, aiming to give his team a good start and take pressure off the middle order. He wanted to bat through but acknowledged that it doesn't always work out. Owen praised the wicket, describing it as flat and slightly two-paced when pace was taken off. He credited the coaching staff for backing him without discussion at the halfway stage. Owen also mentioned that his bowling is going well, and he's ready to contribute whenever the captain needs him, especially after the team suffered a couple of bowling injuries.

Glenn Maxwell, the Washington Freedom captain, expressed satisfaction with both the result and the performance, despite getting closer than he would have liked. He praised Mark Chapman's crucial role in seeing the team home. Maxwell attributed the slight slowdown in the latter part of the innings to uncertainty about the winning total, which left a bit too much to be done by the tail-enders. He noted that his dismissal and a couple of dot balls to the new batter built pressure, affecting the team's momentum. Maxwell emphasized his approach of trying to take pressure off the incoming batter by scoring early and building a buffer. He was pleased with the team's resilience, especially after a strong opener, and highlighted Chapman's opportunity to shine after others missed chances to hit the winning runs.

Nicholas Pooran, the MI New York captain, felt that 188 was a good score, but ultimately not enough against Washington Freedom. He acknowledged that the opposing team played well, particularly in the Powerplay, and that his team fought hard. Pooran reflected on his own dismissal, feeling that he could have been braver and that losing his wicket at that point cost his team 10-15 crucial runs. He recognized that his team had struggled with both batting and bowling in patches, but emphasized the importance of not losing by large margins. Despite the setback, Pooran remains optimistic, believing that results will eventually turn in their favor.

Stay tuned for the presentation...

Earlier, Quinton de Kock's half-century and contributions from Nicholas Pooran and Michael Bracewell helped MI New York post 188, but it wasn't enough against Washington Freedom. The Freedom bowlers, including Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, and Ian Holland, each picked up a wicket.

The MI New York bowlers put in a valiant effort, but a tough night for Rushil Ugarkar, who conceded 35 runs in just 2 overs, ultimately cost them the game. Despite this, Trent Boult, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Sunny Patel chipped in with 2 wickets each, and Rushil did manage to pick up a wicket as well. It was a team effort with the ball, but Rushil's expensive spell proved to be the difference-maker. A learning curve for the youngster.

Mitchell Owen set the tone with a blistering half-century, taking on the MI New York bowlers and hitting them all over the park. Although the team lost wickets at regular intervals, they maintained a brisk scoring rate, never letting the pressure build up. And when things got tough, Mark Chapman stepped up, batting sensibly and calculating the chase perfectly. He took his time and ultimately scored the winning runs.

The defending champions, Washington Freedom, have pulled off another win, defeating MI New York by 2 wickets!

Mark Chapman hits the winning runs. Good length on off, Mark Chapman punches this to mid off and a misfield allows the single. Washington Freedom wins this by 2 wickets.

Scores are level as Mark Chapman punches this to deep cover and comes back for two.

OUT! STUNNER! Michael Bracewell takes a beauty running in from he fence towards sweeper cover to send Mark Adair back and keep the lamp lit for his side to still try and win it. This was full and wide outside off, Mark Adair goes for the lofted drive but gets it in the range of Michael Bracewell. The fielder runs in from the fence and dives in front as he holds onto it.

OUT! STUNNER! Michael Bracewell takes a beauty running in from he fence towards sweeper cover to send Mark Adair back and keep the lamp lit for his side to still try and win it. This was full and wide outside off, Mark Adair goes for the lofted drive but gets it in the range of Michael Bracewell. The fielder runs in from the fence and dives in front as he holds onto it.

LEG BYE! On a length, going down the leg. Mark Chapman goes for the slog but misses and gets it deflected off the pads for one.

Wide yorker on off, Mark Adair slices this to deep third for one.

TWO WIDES! On a length, wide down the leg, Nicholas Pooran fails to gather this clean and the batter take one.

FOUR! Low full toss on off, Mark Chapman gets down on a knee and drives this through cover for a boundary. Two boundaries in the over already and all the pressure that was built on the Washington Freedom batting unit has vanished.