Washington Freedom etched their names into cricket history by successfully chasing a target of 267, the highest ever in the history of T20 cricket. This remarkable feat surpassed the previous record of 265, set by Punjab Kings against Delhi Capitals earlier this year in the IPL. The match, which saw a staggering 51 sixes hit—the first time a T20 game has crossed the 50-six mark—shattered several records. MI New York contributed 29 of those maximums, setting a new record for most sixes by a team in an MLC innings, while Freedom replied with 22.
The aggregate of 536 runs stands as the second-highest in T20 history, trailing only the 549-run encounter between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2024 IPL. Freedom’s winning total of 270/4 is the highest score ever recorded in Major League Cricket (MLC), eclipsing the 269/5 posted by San Francisco Unicorns in last year’s season opener. MI New York’s total of 266/9 is now the third-highest in the competition's history.
Individual brilliance was on full display as the match became the first in T20 history to feature three centurions: Nicholas Pooran with 106, Andries Gous with 132, and Steven Smith with 110*. While there have been 55 instances of two centurions in a T20 game, this was a unique occurrence. Furthermore, the 241-run partnership between Gous and Smith stands as the joint second-highest for any wicket in T20 history and the highest ever in domestic T20 cricket, beating the 229-run stand by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in 2016. Gous also became the first USA batter to register a three-figure score in MLC.
Individual records continued to tumble as Nicholas Pooran reached his century in just 31 balls, the second-fastest in franchise T20 history behind Chris Gayle's 30-ball effort in 2013. Pooran also recorded the fastest 50 in MLC, taking only 14 balls. Meanwhile, Kieron Pollard reached a significant milestone by hitting his 1000th career T20 six, becoming only the second player to achieve the feat after Chris Gayle.
