53/0 to 103 all-out – LAKR suffer first loss of MLC 2026

MI New York handed LA Knight Riders their first defeat of MLC 2026, defending 144 to extend their unbeaten record against them.

The Knight Riders have never beaten New York: that sequence extended at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday (June 27), as Jason Holder's team hurtled through a bleak collapse, folding from 53/0 to 103 all out.

Holder later admitted the target wasn't out of reach, but the team just did not get enough partnerships upfront. Barring openers Colin Munro (20) and Andre Fletcher (44) – the latter batting till the 17th over – none of LAKR's top eight entered double digits.

Left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige scythed through their middle-order to derail the chase, while Corbin Bosch and the rest of the attack cleaned up the lower half, bringing a swift and dramatic end to LAKR's pursuit.

The surface wasn't exactly easy to bat on: earlier, MI New York had themselves dawdled to 144/6, spearheaded largely by captain Nicholas Pooran's 70. After Quinton de Kock's early blitz, they too suffered from frequent dismissals: none of their partnerships went past 40. Andre Russell caused a middle-order slump, bagging Bosch and Kieron Pollard off back-to-back balls in the 12th over. It could have been a lot worse if not for Pooran's defiance, which began in uncharacteristic fashion.

Pooran's innings was a slowpoke for the first few overs. Having ambled to 9 off 21, he pulled an Ali Khan bouncer for six to get going. Then, he briefly went silent again, but when Russell took two-in-two in the 12th over, leaving them at 76/5 at the end of it, Pooran was left with Romario Shepherd (20) to effect a turnaround. They briefly did so, until Shepherd became Russell's fourth victim.

Pooran kept collecting boundaries, taking up most of the strike at the backend. Back-to-back sixes off Russell in the 18th over were a much-needed release, both clubbed down the ground with utmost disdain. The second one also brought up his fifty, which was celebrated with trademark flying kisses to the crowd. They inched past 140, with Russell admitting in the innings break that they "got away in the backend".

LAKR initially looked like they would have little difficulty in cruising through. Munro cleared the leg-side twice in the second over of the chase, and by the sixth over, they were placed comfortably at 49/0. Munro's departure the following over, an unforced error caused by a run-out, brought about a damaging collapse.

Unmukt Chand fell to Kenjige repeating an earlier sweep that had gone for four. Sunil Narine perished off his second ball, trying to replay his first-ball six to midwicket. A maiden over by Shepherd followed, which relayed the pressure to the next one. Rovman Powell succumbed to that, stumped to give Kenjige his third wicket.

From a position of strength, LAKR quickly unravelled.

Two more stingy overs followed, which caused them to combust in an attempt to break free. Saif Badar fell to Shepherd, popping a catch to short mid-on after a painful 12-ball three. Next over, Bosch cleaned up Holder with a vicious off-cutter, and repeated it by cutting one through Russell's stumps. Between overs 10 and 15, they managed just seven runs and lost three wickets.

Fletcher and Matthew Tromp tried a valiant final act with three sixes in four balls, but the pack-up happened shortly after. LAKR have a chance to make quick amends: they play Seattle Orcas tomorrow (June 28).

Brief scores: MI New York 144/6 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 70*, Quinton de Kock 33; Andre Russell 4-35, Sunil Narine 1-12) beat Los Angeles Knight Riders 103 all out in 17.5 overs (Andre Fletcher 44, Colin Munro 20; Nosthush Kenjige 3-21, Corbin Bosch 3-26) by 41 runs.