MI London completed a seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers at the Kia Oval on Thursday evening, reaching their target of 144 with 16 balls remaining in front of a crowd of 20,540. The win was built on a fourth-wicket partnership of exceptional quality between Nicholas Pooran and Sam Curran, who together turned a precarious position into a comfortable one over the course of 40 balls.

Sunrisers Set the Target

Sunrisers posted 143 in their innings, handing MI London a chase of 144. Their bowling attack made an excellent start, reducing the visitors to eight for two inside the first ten balls of the reply before the game shifted decisively against them in the middle and closing overs.

A Shaky Opening for MI London

Brydon Carse was the central figure in Sunrisers' bright start with the ball. Opening the attack, he removed Will Jacks in the sixth delivery of the innings, the right-hander caught by Benny Howell at cover after being beaten by movement off the seam. Jason Roy, playing on his 36th birthday, followed two balls later, edging to Mitchell Marsh at slip off another sharp delivery from Carse. MI London were eight for two, with James Vince and Sam Curran needing to rebuild.

Vince and Curran steadied the innings carefully, picking up singles and boundaries where available while Sunrisers rotated their bowlers through Matthew Potts, Nathan Ellis, Benny Howell, Dan Lawrence and Abrar Ahmed. The required rate climbed as the pair batted cautiously — at the end of ten overs, MI London needed 131 from 80 balls with Curran on six and Vince on four.

Vince's Exit Opens the Door for Pooran

James Vince's measured contribution ended when Ellis bowled him through the gate for 17 from 18 balls, leaving MI London at 51 for three after 44 deliveries. The required rate had tightened to a point where MI London needed quick runs, and Nicholas Pooran walked out to join Curran with that task in hand.

Pooran and Curran Take Control

What followed was a complete change in the texture of the innings. Pooran scored 14 from his first six balls to ease the pressure, and with Curran — who had been accumulating steadily throughout — the pair began accelerating together. From the point Pooran arrived at the crease, MI London needed 92 from 55 balls. Within ten overs of his arrival, the match was over.

Against Benny Howell, Pooran struck three boundaries in quick succession — a four over fine leg, a six over long on, and another four — plundering 14 from a single over. Dan Lawrence's spin offered no respite as Pooran lifted him for a six that carried to the boundary, and Abrar Ahmed, who had looked threatening against Vince, was treated with similar disregard — two sixes in the same over taking Pooran to his half-century from just 19 balls. It was recorded as the fastest fifty in the franchise's history across both its iterations as MI London and Oval Invincibles.

Curran reached his own fifty in the same passage of play, his half-century arriving off 34 deliveries with five fours and two sixes. The 50-run stand between the two came up off just 23 deliveries. Against Potts, Curran hit a full toss over wide long on for six; against Ellis, Pooran worked a full ball around the corner for four to bring up the partnership milestone.

By the time Matthew Potts returned for his final five-ball allotment in the penultimate over, MI London needed only 11 from 20. Curran launched a full toss over wide long on to reduce the equation further, and Pooran finished the match in style in the 84th ball of the innings — driving Potts beyond mid off to seal victory by seven wickets with 16 balls unused.

Final Scores

Sunrisers 143; MI London 144 for 3 in 74 balls. Nicholas Pooran: 58* from 22 balls (4 fours, 5 sixes). Sam Curran: 60* from 39 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes). Brydon Carse: 2 for 18 from 20 balls. The Meerkat Match Hero award was presented to Nicholas Pooran.