Seattle Orcas vs MI New York, 18th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Raza: We are gonna bowl first. It's a used wicket but it's soft as well. A lot of the decisions have been made by the management. I respect Klaasy's decision.

Seattle Orcas have won the toss and have opted to field

There's some major news from the Seattle Orcas' camp. Seattle Orcas part ways with Head Coach Mott," is the post on X from their official handle. The reason cited is 'differences in coaching and management strategies.' Also, Heinrich Klaasen has stepped down as captain to focus on his batting. Sikandar Raza has been named as the new captain for the rest of the season.

MI New York too come into this match on the back of a heavy defeat (47 runs) at the hands of SFU but it's fair to say that they've played better cricket than the Orcas. Their first two losses were close encounters, chased down Seattle Orcas' 200 in 19 overs to regier their only win of the season and then lost another match in the final over against Washington Freedom although they had their moments. Captain Nicholas Pooran is yet to make an impact in this tournament. The reverse fixture was a high-scoring encounter with MINY emerging victorious in California. The average first innings score here in Dallas has been 202. Let's find out what's in store tonight.

Seattle Orcas are yet to get off the mark this season. The wooden spoon winners of the previous season have lost all their five matches this season. Add five from the last season and they're on a 10-match losing streak. Five more matches to go for them and they still have a slim chance to make it to the playoffs. They are yet to fire as a unit. Their bowlers, especially Harmeet Singh and Gerald Coetzee, bowled well in the previous match against SFU but they conceded way too many at the death. Similarly, they started well with the bat but lost their way after the powerplay to suffer a 32-run defeat.

18:05 Local Time, 23:05 GMT, 04:35 IST: San Francisco Unicorns are already through to the playoffs with 12 points having won all their 6 matches. Washington Freedom are just below them at 10 points and Texas Super Kings are positioned third with 8 points. There's a big gap between the top three and bottom three. Two of them in the bottom half of the points table will lock horns against each other today. Hello everyone and a warm welcome to Game 18 of the MLC.

Preview

Seattle Orcas and MI New York are both stuck at the wrong end of the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 points table, and with the league stage approaching its halfway mark, neither team can afford slipping up for much longer.

Orcas come into this game on the back of five straight losses, with their campaign hanging by a thread. After their most recent defeat, captain Heinrich Klaasen admitted that his side hasn't been playing good cricket but also pointed out that things can change quickly. "The three teams at the bottom are not playing good cricket at this moment and they are all just one or two games away from getting into that playoff spot," he had said.

While that may be true, the time is running out fast for Orcas and they will need a near-perfect run from here to stand a realistic chance.

MI New York haven't fared much better, having managed just one win in five matches so far. Their season began with a narrow 3-run loss to the Texas Super Kings and while that performance showed promise, they haven't been able to build on it. Their last two games have ended in defeats, including a heavy 47-run loss to the San Francisco Unicorns in the last match, after which captain Nicholas Pooran spoke about the need for "better execution" in key moments. Still, with five matches left, MINY have some more breathing room and a win here could spark a late-season revival.

Interestingly, MINY's only win this season came against Orcas and they will hope to complete a double. For Orcas, the situation is more urgent and even though their qualification hopes are slim, they are still mathematically alive and a win in this game could keep them in the mix for a little longer.

When: Jun 27, 07:00 PM LOCAL / 5:30 AM (Jun 28)

Where: Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas

What to expect: Five of the eight matches at the venue this season have been won by chasing sides. Another good pitch should await the teams.

Team news

Seattle Orcas: In a change of combination, Sikandar Raza made way for Obed McCoy in the last match to accommodate an extra seamer, given the tendency for the ball to skid under lights. However, the move didn't pay off as McCoy returned figures of 1 for 61.

Probable XI: Shayan Jahangir(w), David Warner, Kyle Mayers, Heinrich Klaasen(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Sujit Nayak, Gerald Coetzee, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Obed McCoy, Cameron Gannon

MI New York: Nosthush Kenjige was brought into the XI for the last match but after an expensive outing, he could make way for another option in the upcoming game.

Probable XI: Monank Patel, Quinton de Kock(w), Nicholas Pooran(c), Michael Bracewell, Kieron Pollard, Heath Richards, Tajinder Dhillon, Sunny Patel, Trent Boult, Naveen-ul-Haq, Nosthush Kenjige

Squads:

Seattle Orcas Squad: Shayan Jahangir(w), David Warner, Kyle Mayers, Heinrich Klaasen, Shimron Hetmyer, Sujit Nayak, Gerald Coetzee, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Obed McCoy, Cameron Gannon, Steven Taylor, Aaron Jones, Ali Sheikh, Ayan Desai, Rahul Jariwala, Sikandar Raza(c), Waqar Salamkheil, Josh Brown

MI New York Squad: Monank Patel, Quinton de Kock(w), Nicholas Pooran(c), Michael Bracewell, Kieron Pollard, Heath Richards, Tajinder Dhillon, Sunny Patel, Trent Boult, Naveen-ul-Haq, Nosthush Kenjige, Ehsan Adil, Agni Chopra, Kunwarjeet Singh, Sharad Lumba, Rushil Ugarkar, Tristan Luus, Delano Potgieter, George Linde