Du Plessis, Ferreira, and Hosein led a strong win for the Super Kings
Du Plessis, Ferreira, and Hosein led a strong win for the Super Kings
MLC 2025: Faf du Plessis hits historic 3rd MLC century as Texas Super Kings beat MI New York. Akeal Hosein was named 'Player of the match' for his three-fer.
Texas Super Kings (TSK) stormed into the knockout stage of MLC 2025 with a commanding 39-run victory over MI New York (MINY), thanks to a stellar all-round show spearheaded by their South African stars. Faf du Plessis set the tone with a blazing century—his second of the season—while Donovan Ferreira unleashed a whirlwind finish that lifted TSK to a formidable total of 223 for 4. With the ball, it was Akeal Hosein who spun a web around the MINY batters, ensuring that even Kieron Pollard’s fiery knock of 70 off 39 balls couldn’t stop TSK’s charge.
The innings began on a shaky note for TSK as Smit Patel departed early, falling to George Linde with the score barely ticking to 3. But what followed was a du Plessis masterclass. In the third over, he took the attack to Ehsan Adil, slamming 16 runs, including two emphatic sixes, to kickstart the momentum. From there, he unleashed a brutal assault, taking two sixes each off Linde and Trent Boult in the following overs. Even though Rushil Ugarkar managed a quiet sixth over to end the powerplay, du Plessis had already raced to a 21-ball fifty.
MINY pulled things back momentarily during the middle overs, allowing only one boundary across the next four overs. This tight spell also saw Saiteja Mukkamalla miscue a shot off Linde to depart cheaply. Du Plessis, who had slowed down slightly after his fifty, reignited the scoring with two more sixes off Linde’s final over, shifting momentum back in TSK’s favour. Though Marcus Stoinis fell trying to accelerate, the arrival of Ferreira ensured that the innings would end with fireworks.
Ferreira and du Plessis stitched together a pulsating partnership. Du Plessis clubbed Pollard over midwicket for six and Ferreira pierced the gaps with two crisp boundaries. Boult’s return only brought more trouble for MINY, as TSK piled up 56 runs in the last three overs. Ferreira ripped into Adil in the 18th, collecting 20 runs, and du Plessis notched up his century in style with a swivel pull off Boult. The final over had drama aplenty Ugarkar bowled five consecutive wides to equal a rather unwanted T20 record, and Ferreira capitalised, hammering another six to raise his fifty off just 20 balls, equaling the fastest in MLC history.
MINY’s chase never quite found its feet. Nandre Burger struck early, dismissing Nicholas Pooran, and Hosein kept the screws tightened with a brilliant wicket-maiden. He went on to dismiss both Quinton de Kock and Tajinder Singh in successive overs, crippling the chase and leaving MINY reeling at 75 for 4 by the 11th over.
Pollard, ever the fighter, launched a counterattack. He smashed three consecutive sixes off Noor Ahmad and benefited from a lucky boundary when Mukkamalla fumbled an easy stop at the rope. Even as he kept the scoreboard ticking alongside Shayan Jahangir, it was Ferreira once again who broke the 88-run partnership with a crucial catch at long-off. That dismissal all but ended MINY’s hopes, and when Burger returned to castle Pollard in the 19th over, the outcome was clear.
TSK’s emphatic win not only secured their place in the knockouts but also demonstrated the depth and firepower in their lineup. Just two points off the top two spots, they're shaping up to be serious contenders for the title.