MI NY dent Orcas' playoffs hope despite Stoinis fifer

MI New York pulled the rug from underneath Seattle Orcas' feet, sending their qualification hopes in a tizzy with a 17-run win in their MLC 2026 fixture.

At 137/1 after 15 overs, it was Orcas' game to lose, with 43 still to get, and the pairing of Tim Seifert and Matthew Breetzke having already reeled off a 100-run partnership. But they made a meal of the chase, losing five wickets and hitting only two boundaries in the last two overs.

Kieron Pollard started the collapse, rolling a cutter past Breetzke and rattling his stumps. Not long after, he returned to catch fellow West Indian Shimron Hetmyer, signalling the first sign that the Orcas were not completely in control. Seifert, racing towards a century, was dropped in the 18th over but couldn't make the most of it, nicking behind to Romario Shepherd in a penultimate over that yielded just three runs. Four balls earlier, Shepherd had cleaned up Marcus Stoinis with a roaring yorker.

With 22 needed off six, Pollard did the needful and New York somehow prevailed.

Earlier, New York had looked set for an under-par score, reduced to 73/5 in the 12th over. The damage was dealt largely by skipper Stoinis, who picked up his first-ever T20 five-wicket haul. He began with Ryan Rickelton's outside edge, Ottneil Baartman then slipped one through to Nicholas Pooran's stumps. Shakib Al Hasan ambled for 15 before holing out, and Stoinis took out Monank Patel with a slow cutter.

Pollard then joined forces with No.7 Tajinder Dhillon to provide a rescue act. Between them, they shared seven sixes and 13 fours, putting together an 80-run stand in just under seven overs. Dhillon took just 22 balls for his fifty, helped by a couple of missed chances in the field. Stoinis returned to collect Pollard, Shepherd and Trent Boult in the space of five balls, but Dhillon undid a part of it with a 20-run final over, launching into Dasun Shanaka. Those bonus runs made all the difference.

Dhillon, hitting his first fifty of the season, deservedly ended with Player of the Match, dedicating it to his brother, who passed away in January.

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