We are back to one match in the Major League Cricket competition on Sunday as the MLC 2025 campaign takes place in Dallas for the final time when the Texas Super Kings takes on MI New York in another big clash.
New York have fallen out of the top four since they were last in action and will be eager to win here and return to that coveted position. The Super Kings play their last game on home soil here and can sign off by securing a playoff spot with a win.
Texas Super Kings
In a weird way, the Texas Super Kings have almost gone about their business unnoticed in the competition so far. They are not one of the top two who have blitzed everything before them and they are not one of the bottom three who have struggled like crazy and stunk the place out at times, they are just a normal team who are winning the matches they should and have been competitive in the ones they have been beaten in, which probably isn’t a bad thing overall.
The end result of all of that is that if Texas come out on top here they will have secured a playoff spot with three matches left and given that they are unlikely to chase down the top two, they might be able to rotate their players and get everyone into form ahead of when it matters. Texas have been very solid with the ball and while there is improvement to be had with the bat, they are starting to put up the sort of scores needed to win this tournament.
MI New York
The inaugural champions MI New York have played six matches in this competition so far and they must be wondering how they have only won one of them. They tossed away their opening game from a winning position and have lost three other matches in the final over, including their latest outing against the Seattle Orcas where their opponents needed six to win off the last ball and got it. If New York don’t hold their nerve at the end of the innings better they will be watching on when the finals come around.
The big problem for New York has been with the ball. We keep saying it but it is true that they weren’t helped by having Rashid Khan pull out on them close to the start of the competition beginning but they have gone for 246/4 and 238/7 in their last two matches and they shouldn’t be getting carted for those sorts of scores. The second one was when they had posted 237/4 themselves so that was particularly damaging and they need a win soon else this season could get away from them.
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Key Players
Noor Ahmad has bowled his four overs in every match for the Texas Super Kings and he has 10 wickets and only gone at 8.20 an over, which in a tournament with regular scores in excess of 200 is insanely good. Texas will hope for four more quality overs from him here.
Nicholas Pooran finally joined this particular party for the MI New York side in their last match and while it wasn’t enough to win them the game, the more he fires for them the better their chances of picking up wins will be.
Betting
I’m a little surprised that we can get 4/5 on the Texas Super Kings here. The league table tells us they are the better side but I always judge matches on the strength of the bowling attacks and this one looks to be chalk and cheese, especially since Akeal Hosein has turned up to bolster what was already a better Texas Super Kings attack anyway. It is hard to put too much faith in a bowling unit which has just been carted for 246 and 238 in their last two matches.
It might be that Texas aren’t built to score those sorts of totals but the point is that they don’t need to be necessarily, even then they have scored 180 in all but one of their matches so it isn’t as though they are stuttering with the bat. MI New York might make a game of this if a Nicholas Pooran or someone goes off but against those two Super Kings spinners who rarely go around the park this looks like a game that the Super Kings can get the win in.
Tips
Back Texas Super Kings to beat MI New York for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with Boylesports
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