MI New York captain Nicholas Pooran delivered one of the greatest innings in Major League Cricket history, smashing the fastest century in the tournament during the Eliminator. The left-hander reached his hundred in just 31 balls against Washington Freedom at the Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday, July 15.
MI New York posted 266/9, their highest team total in MLC history. The defending champions took complete control of the Eliminator with an outstanding batting display. Pooran smashed 106 off just 33 balls, including five fours and 13 sixes, while Kieron Pollard scored 64 off 25 balls, hitting one four and eight sixes.
Nicholas Pooran Smashes Fastest MLC Century Against Washington Freedom
MI New York lost an early wicket after Monank Patel was run out with just nine runs on the board. Nicholas Pooran walked in at No. 3 and immediately counterattacked alongside Quinton de Kock, putting the Washington Freedom bowlers under pressure from the start.
Nicholas Pooran and de Kock added 118 runs for the second wicket in just 42 balls. The MI New York captain raced to the fastest fifty in MLC history off 14 balls before bringing up the fastest century in the tournament's history in 31 balls, breaking Finn Allen's previous record of 34 deliveries.
Pooran eventually departed after scoring 106 off 33 balls at a strike rate of 321.21. His stunning knock included five fours and 13 sixes. It was the third century of his MLC career and the fifth T20 century overall.
How about a 31-ball century?!
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) July 16, 2026
Here's every one of those 31 balls from Nicholas Pooran in the MLC, featuring five fours and TWELVE sixes 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3hnxo8LWJM
Fastest Centuries in Franchise T20 Cricket (by Balls Faced)
| Rank | Player | Balls | Opposition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Gayle | 30 | Pune Warriors India | 2013 |
| 2 | Nicholas Pooran | 31 | Washington Freedom | 2026 |
| =3 | Finn Allen | 35 | Washington Freedom | 2025 |
| =3 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 35 | Gujarat Titans | 2025 |
| =3 | Usman Khan | 35 | Quetta Gladiators | 2023 |
| 6 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 36 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2026 |
MI New York Post Record 266/9 in Eliminator
MI New York continued their aggressive batting even after Pooran's dismissal. Quinton de Kock scored 51 off 24 balls, while Kieron Pollard blasted 64 off just 25 balls, reaching his half-century in only 17 deliveries to keep the scoring rate soaring.
Trent Boult added an unbeaten 22 off 10 balls at the end as MI New York finished on 266/9, the second-highest team total in MLC history. The innings featured 29 sixes, setting a new league record for the most sixes by a team in a single match.
Washington Freedom's bowlers struggled throughout the innings. Rachin Ravindra stood out with 4/29 from four overs, while Saurabh Netravalkar conceded 52 runs in three overs and Glenn Maxwell gave away 41 runs from his three-over spell.
Nicholas Pooran Continues Outstanding MLC Form
Nicholas Pooran continued his outstanding run in the 2026 MLC season with another match-winning innings. He has scored 424 runs in 11 innings at an average of 47.11, including one century and three half-centuries, and is second on the tournament's run-scoring list.
The innings also highlighted a remarkable turnaround after his disappointing IPL 2026 season with Lucknow Super Giants. Pooran managed only 234 runs in 14 matches during the IPL, but he has rediscovered his best form in Major League Cricket.
The West Indies star has now scored three centuries for MI New York, with previous unbeaten scores of 137 and 108 against the Seattle Orcas. His latest century has once again put the defending champions in a strong position as they chase a third MLC title.
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