With 12 needed off the final over, Rushil Ugarkar was handed the responsibility of defending against one of the world’s most dangerous finishers, Glenn Maxwell in Sunday’s 2025 Cognizant Major League Cricket final at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. The 22-year-old emerged as the unlikely hero as MI New York beat Maxwell’s Washington Freedom by 5 runs to be crowned the champions.
Having been invited to bat first, Monank Patel and Quinton de Kock gave MI New York the ideal start on the biggest day of the competition.
The pair put on 72 for the first wicket in just seven overs, including 58 in the powerplay, as the Freedom attack was sent to all parts of the ground.
However, Freedom’s trump card for the Final, fiery Kiwi speedster Lockie Ferguson, broke the partnership by removing Patel for 28.
Though de Kock had made several promising starts this season, his standout innings came at just the right time for MI New York.
The Proteas veteran smashed 4 sixes and 6 fours in his entertaining innings of 77. He was briefly supported by Tajinder Singh (14 off 11) and skipper Nicholas Pooran (21 off 17), before Pooran’s dismissal triggered a dramatic collapse as MI New York slid from 148/2 in the 16th over to 166/7 in the 19th, failing to fully capitalize on their strong start.
Despite the stumble, Kunwarjeet Singh’s unbeaten cameo of 22 off 12 ensured MI New York posted a competitive total of 180/7.
Chasing 181 on a good surface, Freedom had a shaky start, losing two wickets in the opening over to Trent Boult’s magical in-swing.
However, Rachin Ravindra and Jack Edwards launched a sharp counterattack to swing the momentum back in Freedom’s favor.
Edwards contributed a valuable 33 off 22, while Ravindra lit up the final with a whirlwind 70 off just 41 deliveries, showcasing his full array of strokes.
The pair added 84 for the third wicket before Nosthush Kenjige had Edwards caught at long-on in the 9th over, slowing Freedom’s charge.
Ravindra continued the pursuit, but a couple of tight overs and Glenn Phillips struggling at the other end built up pressure. Ravindra eventually fell to Ugarkar, a moment that turned the game.
From there, both Maxwell and Phillips found it difficult to keep up with the rising required rate. Phillips’ back-to-back sixes off Tristan Luus in the 18th over gave Freedom a late lift, with 17 runs bringing the equation down to 24 off 12. But Boult’s composed penultimate over, despite being hit for a six, ensured it would come down to the wire.
With Kieron Pollard unavailable due to an injury earlier, Nicholas Pooran handed the ball to Ugarkar for the final over, and the 22-year-old delivered.
He held his nerve in the most critical moment, using clever changes of pace to dismiss Glenn Maxwell with the fourth delivery, ending Freedom’s hopes of a fairytale finish.
The conclusion of the tournament also saw key individual honors awarded. Washington Freedom’s Mitchell Owen was named Player of the Tournament for his all-round excellence.
San Francisco Unicorns’ Xavier Bartlett finished as the highest wicket-taker of the season.
MI New York’s Monank Patel was awarded Domestic Player of the Tournament and also ended as the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
For his decisive final-over heroics, Rushil Ugarkar was named Player of the Match, and he also earned the Best U23 Player of the Tournament award, capping off a breakout campaign in style.
Match Summary: MI New York beat Washington Freedom by 5 runs
MINY: 180/7 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 77, Monank Patel 28, Kunwarjeet Singh 22*; Lockie Ferguson 3/21, Saurabh Netravalkar 1/31, Ian Holland 1/14)
WF: 175/5 in 20 overs (Rachin Ravindra 70, Glenn Phillips 48*, Jack Edwards 33; Rushil Ugarkar 2/32, Trent Boult 2/32, Nosthush Kenjige 1/30).
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