MLC 2023 | The Big Apple Rumble - MINY vs WAF in the Eliminator Showdown

image-lkjui3a0Washington Freedom players celebrating a wicket (Twitter)

The league stage of the First MLC has been completed and the playoffs will be underway on the 28th of July. MI New York will take on Washington Freedom in a do or die elimination match. The Washington Freedom has had a decent tournament with 3 wins out of their 5 matches with some surprising performances. On the other hand MI New York managed to scrape through to the playoffs with 2 wins out of their 5 on net run rate. 

Even though the Washington Freedom looked like the better side in the tournament, the MI New York had the upper hand on them in the league stages with a dominant 8 wicket victory over them. The Washington Freedom will also look for redemption after the Thrashing they got the last time they played with each other.

Middle Order Mayhem: MI New York vs Washington Freedom Clash

image-lkjmotx4Middle Order Stats of both the teams

The match between the two teams is also going to be a battle between two sides filled with powerful middle order hitters. MI New York has been reliable on their middle order completely. With inform Nicholas Pooran leading the middle order and also being the top run scorer for MI New York has been a big positive for them. Even the contribution of Pollard and David has been brilliant for their side providing the big hits in the end. 

The Middle Order of The MI New York might average just over 30 but they have a high strike rate of 140.5 and are scoring boundaries every 5.81 balls. Along with that the Balls/dismissal ratio of 21.46 indicates a dependable middle order. On the other hand the middle order of Washington Freedom is a whole different story. The performances of Moises Henriques and Glenn Phillips have been very inconsistent and the addition of Obus Pienaar has been ineffective. 

The middle order averages 24.5 to go along with a low strike rate of 120.77 and have a high balls per boundary ratio of 8.35. Even after having a good balls/dismissal ratio(20.29), the low strike rate and the struggle to score boundaries makes it harder to get big scores in T20’s. Overall the MI New York Middle order seems to be faring better but the injury of Pollard will make it tougher for them in the playoffs.

Players to Watch in the MINY vs WAF Showdown

Nicholas Pooran: Pooran is currently MI New York's highest run getter with 277 runs from 5 matches with an average of 56.75. Seeing his performances in the last 2 matches, his contribution will be important in the playoffs.

Trent Boult: Boult has led the bowling attack of MI New York really well. With 11 wickets in 5 games he is currently the leading wicket taker of the tournament. His skill and experience has been very effective.

Saurabh Netravalkar: We cannot count out this talented left arm seamer from the USA since his amazing performance against the Unicorns ensured a top 4 finish for his side. He currently has the best figures in the league and will be hungry for more.

Conclusion

In conclusion this looks like an interesting matchup between two teams with similar problems largely based on inconsistency on both ends. The top order of both the sides have been very inconsistent and rely more on the middle order. In order to prevail in this must win encounter both the teams need to keep in mind that there is no room for hiccups at this stage.