MLC 2023 Points Table: Updated standings after Seattle Orcas vs Texas Super Kings, Qualifier

The 16th and the 17th match of the inaugural MLC edition kicked off at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. MI New York and Washington Freedom locked horns in the eliminator match while Seattle Orcas and Texas Super Kings went head-to-head in the Qualifier match.

MI New York prevailed over Washington Freedom by 16 runs. They rode on the back of a 75-run stand between Dewald Brevis and Tim David followed by Trent Boult’s heroics of 4/31 the team sealed the deal in grand style. While for Washington, their journey comes to a close as they become the third team to crash out of the inaugural MLC edition.

Seattle Orcas locked horns with Texas Super Kings in a rather-sided contest that was won convincingly by Seattle. It was Quinton de Kock all the way as Orcas effortlessly chased down 127 with 30 balls to spare under very tricky batting conditions.

The Orcas have now become the first team to seal their berth in the final. Their rival will be decided after the conclusion of the Challenger. While for Texas, not all is lost as they are slated to take on MI New York in the do-or-die Challenger on July 29.

Washington Freedom, San Francisco Unicorns, and Los Angeles Knight Riders are among the three teams that have officially exited the inaugural MLC edition.

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MI New York triumphed over Washington Freedom in the do-or-die Eliminator

Washington Freedom won the toss and decided to field first. The MI New York were very slow to get off the blocks as the Washington bowlers were efficient. At the end of the first 10 overs, MINY were 47 for three down and were in deep trouble. This is where Tim David (23 off 12) and Dewald Brevis (57 off 41) added a bit of dynamism to the progress.

They stitched a partnership of 75 from 43 balls and ensured that the team reached a fighting total. After the dismissal of David, MINY suffered another slump and in the end, managed to reach a total of 141 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their 20 overs. WAF bowlers were very tidy and did their job diligently conceding only 25 runs off the last four overs.

In the chase, Washington Freedom made a steady start, although they lost Matthew Short early. Even at the halfway stage through the second innings, it looked like Freedom would cruise through to victory. But the MI bowlers were relentless in their efforts and kept strangling the Freedom batters. Trent Boult shone bright to finish with figures of 4/20 in four overs.

Despite some late antics by Marco Jansen, Freedom fell short of the target by 17 runs and got eliminated from the tournament.

With that win, MI New York moved on to the Challenger game. They will be locking horns against Texas Super Kings on July 29.

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Seattle Orcas knock over Texas Super Kings and secure their place in the first-ever MLC final

Opting to bat first, the Texas Super Kings were very lackluster with the bat. Faf du Plessis failed yet again and perished cheaply. Then, Devon Conway(24) and Cody Chetty (24) did help the team to get back on the track.

However, TSK lost wickets at regular intervals and did not manage to put on a significant partnership. They never really got the impetus they needed to kick on and post a sizeable total on the board. Several TSK batters got starts but nobody was able to carry on and get a big score. Daniel Sams notched up 26* off 25 and tried pushing for more runs but could manage to add more.

Imad Wasim was terrific upfront as he continued to pick wickets in the powerplay. He accounted for the TSK skipper and kept it tight. Imad Wasim took 2 for 23 in his spell, while Andrew Tye ended with excellent figures of 3 for 32.

In the end, Orcas managed to restrict Super Kings to a below-par score of 126 on what appeared to be a two-paced track.

The target proved to be way too easy for Orcas to chase as Quinton de Kock got off to an electrifying start. The dismissal of Nauman Anwar during the second over of the chase did not deter him as he went on the counter-offensive. Super Kings bowlers were down and out as they struggled to contain the onslaught of De Kock who raced to 88* off 50 balls.

The veteran southpaw received a decent support from Shehan Jayasuriya (31* off 34) at the other end.

Rusty Theron was the sole wicket-taker for Texas whereas the rest of the bowlers had an off day. Coasting through to the target in just 15 overs, the Orcas will feel extremely confident as they book a ticket to the final.