After a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign, Nicholas Pooran bounced back spectacularly during the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 Eliminator against Washington Freedom in Oakland on July 15. Captaining MI New York, the left-hander produced one of the finest innings in the tournament’s history.
Pooran raced to a century in just 31 balls, the fastest hundred in MLC history, before being dismissed for a stunning 106 off 33 deliveries. His explosive knock featured five fours and 13 sixes. Watch every ball of Pooran’s record-breaking century below (via the 7Cricket X handle):
How about a 31-ball century?!
Here's every one of those 31 balls from Nicholas Pooran in the MLC, featuring five fours and TWELVE sixes 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3hnxo8LWJM
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) July 16, 2026
Pooran’s explosive innings powered MI New York to a daunting 266/9 in their 20 overs in the must-win Eliminator. Although the 30-year-old endured an inconsistent MLC 2026 campaign, his century lifted his season tally to 424 runs from 11 matches at an average of over 47 and a strike rate of 147.73.
Pooran is now the second-highest run-scorer of the season, behind only Lhuan-dre Pretorius. MI New York scraped into the playoffs after finishing fourth with five wins from 10 league matches. The franchise is the most successful in MLC history, having won the title in 2023 and 2025.
While Washington Freedom made a strong start to the chase by reaching 77/2 in seven overs, the two-time champions remained in a strong position to keep their hopes of a third MLC title alive.
Nicholas Pooran Struggled Throughout IPL 2026
Nicholas Pooran entered MLC 2026 on the back of a disappointing IPL 2026 season. Representing the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the former West Indies batter managed just 234 runs in 14 matches at an average of 18 and a strike rate below 128.
Pooran was shuffled up and down the batting order throughout the tournament, a move that contributed to his poor campaign after an outstanding IPL 2025. He had enjoyed his first 500-plus run season in the IPL last year, having also scored 499 runs in the 2024 edition.
Pooran’s dip in form also hurt LSG, who endured a miserable season and finished at the bottom of the points table with just four wins from 14 matches.
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