Washington Freedom completed the highest successful T20 chase, hunting down 267 to beat MI New York in the MLC Eliminator
The match shattered multiple records, including 51 sixes, 536 runs, and the first-ever three centurions in a men's T20
Nicholas Pooran, Steven Smith and Andries Gous starred, while Kieron Pollard crossed 1,000 career T20 sixes
If you thought T20 cricket had already reached its limits, think again. The Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 Eliminator between Washington Freedom and MI New York at Oakland rewrote the history books from the very first innings.
Washington Freedom chased down a mammoth 267-run target, finishing on 270/4 to register the highest successful run chase in T20 history.
In a match where bowlers barely had a moment to celebrate, fans witnessed 536 runs, 51 sixes, three centuries, a record partnership and multiple individual milestones, all in a single evening
The Records That Made This Match Historic
267 – Highest Successful Chase in T20 History
Washington Freedom chased down 267, breaking the previous world record for the highest successful T20 chase.
270/4 – Biggest Total in MLC History
Freedom's winning score is now:
Highest team total in MLC
Highest score ever in a men's T20 playoff/knockout match.
536 Runs – Second-Highest Match Aggregate
The two teams combined for 536 runs, with only one men's T20 match (549 runs in IPL 2024) producing more.
Six-Hitting Frenzy
51 Sixes – New World Record
No men's T20 has ever witnessed more sixes in a single game.
29 Sixes – MI New York's Incredible Innings
Most sixes by a team in MLC history.
Joint-second most sixes in any men's T20 innings.
1,001 Sixes – Pollard's Historic Landmark
Kieron Pollard became only the second batter after Chris Gayle to hit 1,000+ career T20 sixes.
Century Mania
3 Centuries – A T20 First
For the first time ever, three batters scored centuries in the same men's T20 match:
Steven Smith
Andries Gous
2 Chase Hundreds
Smith and Gous became only the second pair to score centuries in the same successful T20 chase.
4th Captain Duo
Pooran and Smith became only the fourth pair of captains to score T20 hundreds in the same match.
Pooran's Record-Smashing Knock
31 Balls – Fastest MLC Century
Also:
Joint sixth-fastest men's T20 hundred
Second-fastest franchise T20 century
Fastest century in a T20 knockout match
14 Balls – Fastest MLC Fifty
Pooran rewrote another record before even reaching three figures.
Partnership for the Ages
241 Runs – Smith & Gous
One stand. Five records.
Highest partnership in MLC history
Highest partnership in a T20 chase
Highest stand for the second wicket or lower
Joint-second highest partnership in men's T20s
First-ever 200-run partnership in MLC
A Historic Night for USA Cricket
1 – First Local Centurion
Andries Gous became the first USA/local batter to score an MLC century.
Batters Ruled the Night
5 Batters, One Incredible Feat
Five players scored 50+ runs.
Every one of them:
Struck at 200+
Hit at least six sixes
It was the first time this has happened in men's T20 cricket.
3 Sub-20-Ball Fifties
Pooran, Pollard and Smith all reached fifty in fewer than 20 balls, making it only the second such instance in men's T20s.
The Bowling Record That Didn't Go Unnoticed
4/29 – Rachin Ravindra's Gem
On a night dominated by batters, Ravindra:
Claimed his third MLC four-wicket haul
Now has the second-most four-fors in league history
Bowled at 7.25 an over, less than half the combined economy of every other bowler
Became only the second bowler to take four wickets while the opposition still crossed 266 in a men's T20.
