Faf du Plessis lightens the stage on fire with a ravishing century & led his team to the Playoffs

@du Plessis greets the crowd after completing his century vs MINY MLC2025

 

Match overview :

On June 30, 2025, at a full crowd stadium named Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, the Texas Super Kings (TSK) played a clinical, all-round knock to crush MI New York (MINY) by 39 runs; the match was the 21 st one of a season called Major League Cricket 2025 MI New York picked to bowl first, and this decision appeared brilliant at the beginning of the game but turned out to be unsound because TSK scored a mammoth total of 223-4 in their 20 overs. Reacting to that, MINY buckled under pressure and scored 184/9 in the chase TSK First Innings The Top Order Batters: Geniuses

The batting line up of TSK did not waste any time in swinging hard as they ran up a massive 223 runs:

• The blistering 103 off 53 balls* by Faf du Plessis ( c ) was his 2 nd century of the season with 5 fours and 9 sixes

• Donovan Ferreira came in and hit a lightning-fast 53 runs off just 20 deliveries, tying fastest fifty in MLC history

• Saiteja Mukkamalla came in to support in the middle overs and made 25 runs off-pace and kept the innings going

They made a dramatic first six overs powerplay, scoring 67 runs, to mark the key .

Stage-by-Stage Batting:

Loss of early wicket 1st wicket – Early Setback George Linde of MI New York started early and bowled Smit Patel lbw off the 3rd ball. However that did not help much in curbing the tide Du Plessis Steps in

Du Plessis went berserk in the third over hitting Ehsan Adil to the tune of 16 runs. In 21 balls he raced to a half-century and continued the assault with two further sixes off Linde in an over the next over The Power of Late-Order by Ferreira

Ferreira played an aggressive cameo with the bat after Marcus Stoinis fell in the 15 th over (batted out by Rushil Ugarkar). He smacked 53 in 20 including three and five sixes and got TSK beyond the 220-run mark

• Notably, the last over witnessed 5 consecutive wides of Ugarkar and one went  six off Ferreira- the strike rate the other man could never match .

Altogether, the innings of TSK were explosive aggression, pressure without without letting the opponent breath, anchored by du Plessis and backed up by the disaster-struck firepower of Ferreira at the end.

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MINY Chase: First Hype followed by Crash:

The response by MI New York began in a good tone but soon collapsed in the face of strict TSK bowling. Early Promise & Pressure:

• Nicholas Pooran was sent to the pavilion early during the powerplay off a   dismissal by Nandre Burger with 8 runs in his 7 ball quota of the innings.

• Quinton de Kock offered some opposition with 35 of 25, but most important was his dismissal to Akeal Hosein bringing to an end a PEG·partnership which had brought some hope.

The Magic Spell by Hosein:

Akeal Hosein bowled a decisive 4-over 1-maiden 15-run 3-wkt spell getting de Kock, Monank Patel, and Tajinder Dhillon out- and MINY were in tatters at 75/4 in the 11 th over . Pollard’s Resistance:

• Kieron Pollard reacted by crashing an enterprising 70 off 39 balls, but his contribution was a poor spit in the ocean.

• In his attack he had lofty blows off Noor Ahmad - one triple sixer beyond mid-wicket but the rest of the batting did not come up to the same standard

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Late Collapse:

• Bowlers, Burger (2/40), and Stoinis (2/43), of TSK also tightened the chase.

• Ledger latches were under pressure, tales were down and MINY were duped out or stuck on 184/9, short of 39 runs

Standout Performers:

Faf du Plessis (TSK): 103* in 53 balls, a roaring striking rate, an innings led by the captain. His century is now the highest by any batter in the history of MLC- third of his career, the second one this season Donovan Ferreira (TSK): 53 off 20, bone-crunching late order hitting, shared equal-swiftest half century in MLC Akeal Hosein (TSK): 3/15 in 4 overs, choked down the MI New York pursuit in the mid overs Kieron Pollard (MINY): 70 off 39, intent on being aggressive, but alone in the fight

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Highlights of the Tactical & strategic changes:

• The field-first throw of MI New York seemed like a sharp idea on the paper, however, in the practice it failed when TSK released their batting artillery

• The innings was in full swing due to powerplay aggression (67 runs in first six    overs) by TSK, exceptional use of boundaries and extras.

• The innings of Du Plessis could be best described as a captain-knock                masterclass; it was the mastery of control, speed, and smart decision-   making.

• Control of the spin bowling by Hosein through overs 7-11: he removed key batsmen and crushed the chase of MINY .

• Pollard tried his best but bowlers of TSK ensured that the required run rate remained beyond reach of the team.

The importance of this Win:

In the case of Texas Super Kings:

• Secured a playoff birth, being the third MLC 2025 team to do it.

• Maintained home field advantage and as the crowd is supporting them at Grand Prairie, their confidence is in the clouds

• Du Plessis century that earned him the record under fire augers well with the business part of the tournament

In case of MI New York:

• There is yet another loss, and an addition to their mid-season misery, anticipating retrospections, at least, on the matter of batting depth as well as bowling consistency.

• With brilliance that Pollard has exuded, there is much sporadic effort       necessary across the field so as to have a realistic playoff run.

• Important future matches (e.g. LA Knight Riders) will be crucial in as far as       reviving their campaign is concerned

Post-Match Reactions:

TSK captain: Faf du Plessis:

Admitted that the pitch did slow down after powerplay but praised intensity of the team to gear more than 200. Dedicated to the maintenance of high levels as they go forward. Nicholas Pooran (skipper of MINY):

Accepts the bowling was lacking, but pinning hopes on- In her own words again, she points out, it is never over until it is over and Mumbai Indians franchises are momentum derived

Akeal Hosein:

His attitude referred to as the key- ready to face world-class attacks. He attributed this fact to his teachers such as Dwayne Bravo and enjoyed playing during the powerplay period.

Looking Ahead:

• TSK are now gearing up to play a league stage final with Washington Freedom on July 2 in the quest to gain beauty into knockout stages.

• MINY has the following game against the LA Knight Riders on July 3, which could be a turning point in terms of reorientation of their campaign

Conclusion:

The thorough 39-run victory of Texas Super Kings over MI New York on June 30, 2025 was nothing but a display of top superb T20 cricket- absolute batting dominance at the coast and supremacy in spin bowling in the middle betwixt and match-taking performances when they matter most. The century by Faf du Plessis put his name in the history books of MLC and Akeal Hosein spin expertise sucked the T20 run chase of MINY. This performance was coupled with the power debut of Ferreira and showed a balanced TSK side ready to win the championships. In the case of MI New York, even with the brilliance of Pollard they were found wanting in the middle of their batting sessions as well as steady bowling performance in the crunch situation in the match. With this victory, TSK has secured their playoff credentials, and has also carved out an inviting narrative to follow, going into the first season of Major League Cricket.

Brief Scores : 

TSK Innings: 223/4 (20 Overs) Faf du plessis 103 off 53 Balls (5 Fours & 9 Sixes), Donovan Ferreira 53 off 20 Balls (3 Fours & 5 Sixes)

MINY Bowling: George Linde 2/42 (4 Overs), Rushil Ugarkar 2/47 (4 Overs).

MINY Innings: 184/9 (20 Overs) Kieron Pollard 70 off 39 Balls ( 5 fours & 5 Sixes),Quinton de Kock  35 off 25 Balls (2 Fours & 3 Sixes)

TSK Bowling: Akeal Hosein 3/15 (4 Overs),Nandre Burger 2/40 (4 Overs)

Player of the Match: Nandre Burger

Result: Texas Super Kings Won by 39 Runs