Pitch report: Very impressed with the pitch in terms of pace and bounce. It is a good batting surface. Bowlers need to have variations

Teams:

Texas Super Kings (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis(c), Devon Conway(w), Daryl Mitchell, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Milind Kumar, Donovan Ferreira, Calvin Savage, Mohammad Mohsin, Adam Milne, Noor Ahmad, Zia-ul-Haq

MI New York (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Monank Patel, Nicholas Pooran(c), Agni Chopra, Michael Bracewell, Kieron Pollard, Tajinder Dhillon, Sunny Patel, Ehsan Adil, Naveen-ul-Haq, Trent Boult

Faf: Did he say bowling first? Yeah, we were going to bat anyway. Really surprised how good the wicket was yesterday. First game, lots of changes from the last season. Two spinners and three and half, four seamers (smiles).

Pooran: We will bowl first. We have a good mix of spinners and pacers (smiles).

MI New York have won the toss and have opted to field

Meanwhile MINY have added a few all-rounders to further strengthen their side. George Linde extends into the MI family here in the MLC as well having been a key member of their SA20 campaigns. They have also got back Quinny (de Kock) to their lineup having invested in him few years ago for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. While Quinton switches to MINY from Seattle Orcas, Naveen-ul-Haq is set to don the blue jersey after having featured for TSK last season.

17:00 Local Time, 00:00 GMT, 05:30 IST: Hello everyone! We had an absolute ball at the Coliseum yesterday. Will bat dominate ball today as well? Few fresh/different faces in both sides this season. TSK will be frustrated with the unavailability of Mitch Marsh due to injury because middle-order batting was a concern. Will the impressive Saiteja Mukkamalla finally get a go? Donovan Ferreira and Nandre Burger, who were part of the Super Kings family in the SA20, have been drafted into MLC setup as well. Adam Milne is another new signing for the men in yellow.

Preview

How did they fare last season:

MI New York: In 2024, MINY scrambled to reach the playoffs, this time by the barest of margins on net run rate. However, they couldn't replicate the playoff dominance of 2023 and crashed out in the Eliminator at the hands of Texas Super Kings, courtesy of a Faf du Plessis special. Batting once again proved to be their Achilles' heel. Tellingly, Rashid Khan, despite contributing only through a string of short cameos, ended up outscoring all but Nicholas Pooran, finishing with 162 runs. He also emerged as one of their standout bowlers, picking up 10 wickets at an economy rate of 6.15. That Rashid, a bowling all-rounder, was their second-highest run-scorer spoke volumes about the brittle nature of their batting lineup. Among the domestic batters, only Monank Patel managed to register a semblance of consistency, with no other player crossing the half-century mark even once.

Texas Super Kings: TSK's openers, Devon Conway and Faf du Plessis often stole the spotlight scoring a staggering 52% of the team's runs and won games single-handedly. However, their dominance inadvertently left little time in the middle for the rest of the batting unit. That lack of exposure proved costly, as the middle order failed to find rhythm when it mattered most. Despite the presence of a marquee name like Marcus Stoinis, the middle order remained a persistent concern. Stoinis endured a lean run, managing just 83 runs in six innings without making any significant impact. Milind Kumar also struggled, compiling only 50 runs across seven outings in what was a forgettable campaign. One bright spot, however, was teenage talent Joshua Tromp, who bounced back from early struggles to deliver a valiant half-century in Qualifier 2 against a formidable bowling attack featuring Pat Cummins and Haris Rauf.

International Contingent:

MINY: MINY would want their batting to revolve around their new signing and a proven match winner Quinton de Kock. The 33-year-old has been on the wane since his international retirement last year but the franchise would hope for a spark in form and fortune for him to return to his devastating best as he switches jerseys between MINY and Seattle Orcas. The additions of Azmatullah Omarzai, George Linde and Michael Bracewell will bolster the all round options for MINY. Fast bowler Naveen-Ul-Haq is set to make his debut in MI colours after being released by the Texas Super Kings.

TSK: TSK will usher in a new era without Dwayne Bravo, their long-time talisman, who bid farewell to professional cricket last year. Aaron Hardie, who played a central role in TSK's campaign last season as their No. 3 batsman and a handy contributor with the ball, was deemed surplus to requirements this time around. That decision may have stemmed from TSK's ambition to field more high-profile all-rounders like Mitchell Marsh and Daryl Mitchell. However, much to their frustration, Marsh had to be replaced by Akeal Hosein due to injury concerns that hampered his IPL season. On the bowling front, the fast bowling unit has been reinforced with the signing of South African left-arm quick Nandre Burger, alongside the inclusion of Adam Milne. While Milne has struggled to cement his place in the New Zealand side, he remains a valuable option on the fringes for the Kiwis.

Domestic Cadre:

MI New York were the busiest at the domestic player draft, with their picks reflecting both pedigree and potential. Among them is former Mumbai U19 captain and Mizoram batter Agni Chopra. They continue to believe in the promise of USA captain Monank Patel and left arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige, who has also been a regular with MI Emirates. Tajinder Singh Dhillon has made a cross-country switch from the San Francisco Unicorns to MINY while Sharad Lumba, who has been consistent in Minor League Cricket has been called up. Former Pakistan international Ehsan Adil and Rushil Ugarkar, the rising USA fast bowling prospect will battle it out for the final domestic pacer's spot in the eleven.

TSK wasted no time in snapping up Shubham Ranjane, widely regarded as the premier domestic seam-bowling all-rounder, at the draft table. Meanwhile, USA T20 opener Sai Teja Mukkamalla has seen his career ascend steadily on the associate circuit, highlighted by his maiden T20I century against Oman a few months ago. However, despite being with TSK for two full seasons, he is yet to be handed an opportunity in the playing eleven. Calvin Savage is retained for his brisk cameos with the bat lower down the order despite being unavailable to bowl for the majority of the tournament. Zia-Ul-Haq and Mohammad Mohsin indoctrinated themselves to be the beating hearts of the TSK bowling line-up with some match-winning performances that have overshadowed their foreign counterparts.

Squads:

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

Texas Super Kings Squad: Faf du Plessis(c), Devon Conway(w), Daryl Mitchell, Milind Kumar, Joshua Tromp, Marcus Stoinis, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Shubham Ranjane, Donovan Ferreira, Smit Patel, Zia-ul-Haq, Stephen Wing, Mohammad Mohsin, Nandre Burger, Calvin Savage, Adam Milne, Noor Ahmad, Adam Khan