Owen all-rounds shows Washington Freedom Defeat MI New York by Two Wickets

@Owen's reaction after taking a wicket vs MiNY MLC2025

On June 22, 2025, the 11 th game of the season of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 took place with the electrifying match between Washington Freedom and the MI New York cricket teams that ended with the winning score of 2-wicket in the Grand Prairie Stadium of Dallas, Texas. The game was marked with fireworks batting, controlled bowling, and tense situations and demonstrated an increased competitive fire of MLC and the fans till the last delivery.

Match Overview:

Glenn Maxwell led Washington Freedom and opted to field first after winning the toss, which preconditioned a high-scoring game on the pitch favorable to batsmen in Grand Prairie. MI New York had an impressive score of 188 4 in their 20 overs with the help of a good opening stand and a late burst. Washington Freedom replied with an explosive 26-ball 60 by Mitchell Owen and a steady 45 not out by Mark Chapman who took the team over the finish line despite a late-order implosion. The result featured personal skill, tactical acumen and the capacity to keep a cool head when it mattered, and so was one of the stand-out games of the MLC 2025 season to date

MI New York: Solid Batting:

MI New York Innings -188/4

Explosive Start

MI New York chose to bat first and attacked the powerplay first. Opener Monank Patel and keeper-batter Quinton de Kock had flown to 70/0 in the first six overs with de Kock racing an explosive 55 off 34 balls anchoring the partnership and Patel racing 32 off 20

They were aggressive and the tools such as the use of strategic timeouts could not intimidate them.

Middle-Innings Slowdown:

After the bowlers of Washington got the control back after the powerplay. The major breather came in the 7 th over when Mitchell Owen, on a batting high, got the big wicket of Patel. In the next over, Ian Holland sent de Kock back, and in the 16 th Maxwell, the skipper, got Nicholas Pooran. This three wickets fall in one go broke the rhythm of MI

Late Burst:

In the later stages, Michael Bracewell also contributed late fireworks, slamming 42 runs in an unbeaten 24 balls to bring the score to 188/4, which seemed to be competitive but also chaseable

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Chase of Washington Freedom: A Rollercoaster Ride

Freedom s Chase 189/8 19.2 Overs 

Powerplay Blitz:

The quest of Washington was threatening.Mitchell Owen flamed on--hitting a 60 off 26 balls (5 fours, 5 sixes), to speed the chase. He has hit his 50 in 22 balls, tore through MI young pacer Rushil Ugarkar, and smacked off three sixes in one over

The two, with Rachin Ravindra, went hammering to 74/2 in 5.5 overs

Wickets Stop the pace:

In the 8th over, Owen left the field with Washington at 91/3, but a slump followed, with Ravindra (10), Andries Gous (14) and Jack Edwards (30) falling one after the other. There was the threat of an impeding break down which would have been a setback to the pursuit

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Middle‑Over Fortitude:

A crucial 41-run partnership between Chapman (45)* and Edwards (30) stabilized the innings until the innings reached 132/4 in the 13 th over

But Maxwell, who had played a short extravaganza of 16 off 5, two sixes, was dismissed in the 14th .

Nerve‑wrenching Finale:

The equation was tight at 168/5 in the 16 th with only Jones of the bowling options remaining. Chapman was given the responsibility of the chase and he stayed calm to the end, combining with tailenders Obus Pienaar, Mukhtar Ahmed and Mark Adair to nick the remaining runs. An emphatic 14 run penultimate over by Ugarkar, with a brilliant hit by Chapman turned the game

A couple of runs and a misfield in the 19 th over gave Chapman the strike and composure. He brought victory home finally off Kieron Pollard early in the 20 th over, Chapman composed himself, straightening up to punch it in front of square, which brought the winning runs.

Star Performers:

• Mitchell Owen: 60 not out off 26 and 1/29 with the ball were crucial in an all round performance that was scintillating. His initial performances and blasting were granted with Player of the Match.

• Mark Chapman: Showed unbelievable composure, being the stabilising influence in the chase, hitting an unbeaten 45 off 32 to see Freedom through the tape

• Jack Edwards: His 30 runs, a swift cameo helped him come up during a wobbly chase period

• Quinton de Kock and Michael Bracewell were the best players in the game and Bracewell was able to bring in the momentum in the late stages of the innings and de Kock was able to get the tone in the initial stages of the innings

Tactical Takeaways:

• Mastery of Powerplay: The two teams were superior in their powerplays with MI scoring 70/0 and Washington 74/2. The game was characterized by early aggression

• All-round Balance: The versatility of the team, especially the brilliance of Owen in both positions, made the presence of multi-skilled players very crucial.

• Finishing Nerves: Chapman has a habit of remaining cool under pressure and that is why he is such an important asset as a composed finisher in T20 runs.

• Tactical Bowling adjustments: The strategies New York used in the form of Boult and Naveen-ul-Haq in the middle of the game kept Washington in control, and it showed that their tactics almost succeeded.

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Influence on the Tournament:

This exciting victory put Washington Freedom on the go in MLC 2025- they are now 3‑1 with 6 points, with a three-match streak of victories as the starting point

On the other hand, MI New York is still struggling, winning only 1 game in 4 encounters

 Washington is now focused on the face-off against Texas Super Kings and MI New York need to rally before taking on the SF UnicornsConclusion

The Climactic Ending:

As the score required 34 runs in the remaining five overs, the veteran bowlers of MI New York, Boult and Naveen-ul-Haq had bowled their quota, and Pooran had to depend on Ugarkar to deliver the last over. Chapman took his chance, hitting consecutive boundaries to get 14 runs out of the over and this put the game heavily on the side of Washington Freedom. The Kiwi left-hander poise under pressure could be seen as he steered through the situation of nerves to score the winning runs in the 19.2nd over and remain no out on 45 off 32 balls. The knock along with the fireworks of Owen earlier made sure that Washington Freedom crossed the line with 189 in 8 becoming the third winning team in the season.

Conclusion:

The encounter between the Washington freedom and the MI New York in June 22, 2025 demonstrated how exciting and unpredictable T 20 cricket is. Big hits, important wickets and a dramatic finish, the match had everything, with MI New York exercising its explosive power play and Washington Freedom giving it a thrilling chase. Mitchell Owen and Mark Chapman were the saviors of Washington Freedom whereas MI New York will have to consolidate and focus on their bowling issues. With MLC 2025, intense encounters like these are bound to make the flourishing reputation of the league in the world cricket scenario.

Brief Scores :

Mi new York Innings:188/4 (20 Overs)  Quinton de kock 55 off 34 Balls (7 Fours & 2 Sixes), Michael Bracewell 42* off 24 Balls (5 Fours & 1 Six)

Washington Freedom Bowling: Glenn Maxwell 1/37 (4 Overs), Mitchell Owen 1/29 (4 Overs)

Washington Freedom Innings: 189/8 (19.2 Overs) Mitchell Owen 60 off 26 Balls (5 Fours & 5 Sixes), Mark Chapman 45* off 32 Balls (3 Fours & 1 Six)

Mi New York Bowling: Naveen-ul-Haq 2/28 (4 Overs), Sunny Patel 2/37 (4 Overs)

Player of the Match: Mitchell Owen

Result: Washington Freedom Won by 2 Wickets