MI New York shattered Seattle Orcas’ playoff dreams with a stunning 17-run victory in their MLC 2026 clash, turning a dominant chase into a dramatic collapse. At 137/1 with 43 needed off 30 balls, the Orcas looked unstoppable—until Pollard and Shepherd flipped the script.

Orcas' chase unravels in final overs

Tim Seifert and Matthew Breetzke had the Orcas cruising with a 100-run stand, but the wheels fell off in the death overs. Pollard sparked the collapse, bowling Breetzke with a cutter, then returned from a shoulder scare to pouch Hetmyer in the deep. Seifert, dropped on 88, couldn’t capitalize—nicking behind to Shepherd in a penultimate over that yielded just three runs. Shepherd had already silenced Marcus Stoinis with a thunderous yorker. Three balls. One over. Game gone.

Stoinis’ fifer nearly steals the show

Earlier, Stoinis carved through MI New York’s top order with a career-first T20 five-for, reducing them to 73/5. His slow cutters baffled the batters on a tricky Dallas surface, dismissing Rickelton, Pooran, Shakib, and Patel. But Pollard and Tajinder Dhillon counterattacked, smashing 13 fours and seven sixes in an 80-run blitz. Dhillon’s 22-ball fifty—aided by two dropped catches—proved pivotal, even as Stoinis returned to claim Pollard, Shepherd, and Boult in five balls.

Dhillon’s emotional knock seals the deal

Dhillon’s unbeaten 66* (his first fifty of the season) and Pollard’s 54 rescued New York to 179/8. The 20-run final over off Shanaka’s bowling—including Dhillon’s late assault—ultimately decided the game. Fittingly, Dhillon took Player of the Match, dedicating it to his late brother, his first coach. The Orcas now must win their final match to reach the playoffs, while New York sit pretty in second place.

  • MI New York 179/8 (20 ov): Tajinder Dhillon 66*, Kieron Pollard 54; Marcus Stoinis 5-46, Ottneil Baartman 2-18
  • Seattle Orcas 162/6 (20 ov): Tim Seifert 88, Matthew Breetzke 44; Kieron Pollard 2-9, Romario Shepherd 2-13
  • Result: MI New York won by 17 runs