Washington Freedom held their nerve to clinch a thrilling two-wicket win over MI New York in a high-scoring contest. Chasing 189, Freedom were always ahead of the required rate but kept losing wickets at regular intervals, which kept MI New York in the hunt till the end. The chase was laid on a solid platform by opener Mitchell Owen, who came out all guns blazing. Owen smashed a blistering 60 off just 26 balls, hammering five fours and five sixes to put his side in command early on. After his departure, Rachin Ravindra (10) and Andries Gous (14) chipped in with quick runs, but Freedom’s middle order struggled to build partnerships. Mark Chapman’s composed knock of 45 not out off 32 balls proved decisive in the end. Despite losing partners at the other end with Maxwell (16) and Jack Edwards (30) falling cheaply — Chapman kept his cool and guided Freedom home with four balls to spare.
Earlier, MI New York posted a competitive 188 for 4. Michael Bracewell top-scored with an unbeaten 42 off 24 balls, while Quinton de Kock cracked a quickfire 55 off 34. Pooran and Monank Patel also contributed useful runs, but Owen’s impact was not limited to batting alone, he also struck with the ball, picking up Monank Patel’s wicket.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player? In the end, Freedom huffed and puffed but got the job done, sealing a two-wicket win to continue their strong run.Brief Scores: MI New York 188/4 (Quinton de Kock 55, Michael Bracewell 42*; Mitchell Owen 1/29) Washington Freedom 189/8 in 19.2 overs (Mitchell Owen 60, Mark Chapman 45*; Trent Boult 2/38, Naveen-ul-Haq 2/28) Washington Freedom won by 2 wickets.
