Defending champions MI New York opened their account in MLC 2026 with an eight-wicket win over Texas Super Kings in the last match of the opening leg of the tournament at the Grand Prairie Stadium on Monday (IST).The win was set up by a strong bowling display led by Trent Boult and Corbin Bosch in front of the captain Nicholas Pooran led the chase with an unbeaten 68.After suffering defeat in their opening game, MI New York needed a response and they got it quickly through Boult. The arm pacer dismissed Smit Patel in the first over and then removed Rilee Rossouw with a ball that came back sharply, reducing Texas to 20 for 2.Texas, who were without their regular captain Faf du Plessis due to a back spasm, struggled to recover from the early matches. Bosch struck before the end of the Powerplay to leave them at 36 for 3.Milind Kumar and Shubham Ranjane rebuilt the innings with a 65-run partnership and briefly got Texas back on track. However, MI New York continued to collect wickets. Ranjane fell short of a half-century, while Bosch dismissed Donovan Ferreira and Wiaan Mulder to stop any late charges.Boult’s early breakthroughs and Bosch’s control through the middle and death ensured that Texas never gained full momentum. The innings ends at 158, with four balls remaining.MI New York started the hunt aggressively. Quinton de Kock attacked from the start, taking out Akeal Hosein in the first over with two fours and a six. Texas missed a key chance when Monank Patel was dropped by Amishi de Silva in the third over.The missed opportunity proved costly. Monank and de Kock added 49 runs for the opening wicket before Monank and Pooran put together another partnership for 64 runs. While de Kock provided the first runs, Pooran hunted carefully and made sure there were no misses.Monank was dismissed for 46 after bringing the target well within reach. Pooran took control, increasing the scoring rate as the finish approached. His unbeaten 68 helped MI New York complete the chase with 14 balls to spare and secure their first win of the season.
