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MINY vs SO Fantasy Team Prediction, Pitch Report, Weather and Playing XI — MLC 2026Two teams. Two win streaks going the wrong way at the wrong time. And a cricket ground that has already bitten one team hard.
MI New York face Seattle Orcas in the 17th match of MLC 2026 on Friday July 3 at the Knight Riders Cricket Field in Pomona. Play starts at 1:30 AM local time, which is 1:30 PM in India, so this one is easy to catch live without setting an alarm.
Here is why tonight matters more than a normal midseason game. Both teams have been up and down all season, winning one match and then losing the next like clockwork. Both come in off a win right now, so one of them has to lose that habit tonight.
But before the team news, one thing happened at this ground two nights ago that you need to know about first. The very first match was ever played here, and the pitch did something nobody expected.
Match Details
Match: MINY vs SO, 17th T20, MLC 2026
Date: Friday, July 3, 2026
Time: 1:30 AM local (California) which is 1:30 PM IST
Venue: Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona, California
SO Captain: Marcus Stoinis
MINY Captain: Nicholas Pooran (Kieron Pollard was named franchise captain before the season started, but Pooran has actually been the one leading the side out onto the field in recent matches, so go with Pooran)
Watch live in India: Star Sports 2 on TV, JioHotstar for streaming
Here Is What Actually Happened At This Ground Two Nights Ago
The Knight Riders Cricket Field only opened for cricket this season. Before July 1, nobody had ever played a competitive match on this pitch. Everyone assumed it would play like the flat, high scoring grounds MLC has used before, somewhere in the 175 to 190 range for a good total.
Then LAKR played WF here on July 1, and it all went sideways. LAKR won the toss, decided to bat first like you normally would, and got bowled out for a shockingly low 108. Washington Freedom then walked the chase home with 6 wickets and 17 balls still in hand, no drama at all.
What happened? The pitch had juice in it. Player of the match Saurabh Netravalkar took 3 wickets for just 16 runs with the new ball and said afterwards that there was, in his own words, some variable bounce and swing on offer. In simple terms, the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat nicely and sometimes bounced a bit higher or lower than the batter expected, which is exactly the kind of thing that gets good batters out cheaply. Even WF’s own captain Steve Smith, who scored an unbeaten 40 to win the game, admitted it was a tricky pitch to bat on.
So here is the takeaway before a ball is even bowled tonight. This ground currently has a sample size of one match, and in that one match, batting first was a trap. Until this pitch proves otherwise, the smart move if you win the toss is to bowl first and chase.
Team Form: Last 5 Matches
Seattle Orcas: W L W L W
Seattle’s last game out was a tidy 20 run win over LAKR, where they put up 154 and made it stick. Go back one match before that and they actually lost a nail biter to San Francisco Unicorns despite scoring 191, which shows even a big total isn’t always enough. Their best batting performance in this stretch was the 227 they smashed against Washington Freedom, the same game where Shimron Hetmyer played the innings of his life (more on that below).
MI New York: W L W L W
MINY’s most recent outing was a comfortable chase, knocking off LAKR’s total of 103 with plenty of overs to spare. The game before that was a loss to Texas Super Kings, where MINY only managed 127. Their standout total in this run was 215 against Washington Freedom, though even that big score wasn’t enough to win that particular match.
Both teams are basically mirror images of each other right now. Win, lose, win, lose, win. Somebody snaps that pattern tonight.
Head to Head: MINY vs SO
If you go by recent history, MI New York have the slight edge, leading 3 wins to 2 in the last five meetings between these sides. That includes a win in the actual 2023 final, which is about as big as head to head bragging rights get.
- 2023 Final: SO scored 183/9, MINY chased it down in 16 overs for 184/3. MINY won.
- 15th T20, MLC 2023: MINY made 194/8, SO got there with 195/8 in 19.2 overs. SO won.
- 1st T20, MLC 2024: SO were bowled out for 108, MINY chased it in just 14.2 overs. MINY won.
- 9th T20, MLC 2025: SO scored 200/5, MINY chased it down for 203/3. MINY won.
- 18th T20, MLC 2025: MINY made 237/4, SO somehow got there for 238/7. SO won.
Notice something? Every single one of these games has been close. This is not a rivalry where one team dominates the other. It is genuinely competitive every single time, which is exactly what makes tonight fun to watch.
Points Table Right Now
Here’s a quick reminder of what these numbers actually mean if you are new to following MLC. P is how many matches a team has played, W is wins, L is losses, NRR stands for Net Run Rate (basically a tiebreaker number that shows how much better or worse a team’s scoring rate has been compared to what they’ve conceded), and Pts is points, where a win is worth 2 points.
| Team | P | W | L | NRR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Orcas | 6 | 3 | 3 | +0.277 | 6 |
| MI New York | 4 | 2 | 2 | +0.267 | 4 |
Seattle have simply played two more matches than MINY so far, which is why they sit above them on points. Their actual win percentage this season is basically identical. A win tonight puts real pressure on the rest of the table as the playoff race starts heating up.
How These Two Teams Compare Over Their Last 10 Matches
Seattle Orcas: Win rate of 50 percent, averaging 172 runs per innings, with a best of 227 and a worst of just 82.
MI New York: Win rate of a much higher 70 percent, but a lower scoring average of 154 runs per innings, with a best of 215 and a worst of 112.
Seattle score more runs on average but win less often, which usually means they are a streaky, high risk batting team. MINY score less but win far more often, which points to a side that leans on discipline and its bowling attack to grind out results rather than blow teams away with the bat. Given what just happened to the last team that batted first at this ground, MINY’s low key, bowling first approach might actually suit this pitch better than Seattle’s boundary hitting game plan.
Pitch Report: Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona
One match played here so far. Team batting first got bowled out cheap. Team bowling first won easily. The bowlers who did well were the ones who bowled good, simple lengths rather than trying anything fancy, because the pitch itself was doing enough work on its own with uneven bounce and some swing.
Toss verdict: If you win the toss tonight, bowl first. Simple as that, based on the only evidence we have.
Par score: A par score is just cricket speak for the total that gives a team a realistic chance of winning on that particular pitch, on that particular day. Before this ground had ever hosted a match, people were guessing something like 175 or more. After watching one team get bowled out for 108, that number needs a serious rethink. Right now, anything above 130 to 140 here should be treated as a genuinely competitive total, not a losing one.
Weather Report for July 3 in Pomona
- Temperature: Around 35.7 degrees Celsius, so a hot night
- Conditions: Cloudy
- Humidity: 41 percent
- Chance of rain: Just 5 percent
Good news here. Unlike the last match at this ground, which had a scary 70 percent rain chance, tonight looks clean. You shouldn’t need to worry about a rain delay or the match getting cut short. Expect a full, uninterrupted 20 overs a side.
Seattle Orcas Playing XI
Based on their most recent match against Washington Freedom, expect: Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Shayan Jahangir, Matthew Breetzke, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis (captain), Dasun Shanaka, Ali Sheikh, Harmeet Singh, Cameron Gannon, Jasdeep Singh, Ottneil Baartman.
A quick word of caution here. Tim Robinson and Tanveer Sangha are both part of Seattle’s official squad this season, both signed as overseas players, but neither one has actually featured in the team’s recent matches. Do not pick either of them for your fantasy team tonight unless you see them confirmed in the actual toss announcement. It happens more often than you’d think that a fantasy player picks a big name sitting on the bench simply because he’s technically part of the squad.
MI New York Playing XI
Based on their most recent match against LAKR, expect: Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Ryan Rickelton, Monank Patel, Nicholas Pooran (captain), Kieron Pollard, Tajinder Dhillon, Corey Anderson, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Rushil Ugarkar, Sunny Patel.
Same warning applies here. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, the Afghan mystery spinner, is part of MINY’s squad but has not played a single match yet this season. Skip him for tonight’s fantasy team unless the official lineup proves otherwise at toss time.
Players To Watch Tonight
Shimron Hetmyer, Seattle Orcas
This man is on fire right now. In his last innings he smashed an unbeaten 79 off only 33 balls against Washington Freedom, finishing the game with three sixes in the final over alone. Even on a pitch that might offer the bowlers some early help, a batter as dangerous as Hetmyer only needs a handful of overs to completely change a game once he gets his eye in.
Marcus Stoinis, Seattle Orcas
Seattle’s captain is having the kind of season where he’s contributing everywhere. He hit five sixes in a single over against Washington Freedom, and then turned around and picked up 3 wickets for just 28 runs bowling against LAKR. On a seaming pitch like this one appears to be, his medium pace bowling could end up being just as valuable as anything he does with the bat.
Nicholas Pooran, MI New York
Pooran has quietly been the man leading MINY around on the field lately, and his calm, controlled batting style is exactly what a team needs when the pitch is misbehaving and wickets are falling around him. If MINY lose early wickets tonight, expect Pooran to be the one holding the innings together.
Trent Boult, MI New York
The left arm quick shared seven wickets with Corbin Bosch in one of MINY’s recent wins, and given what we just watched happen with the new ball two nights ago at this exact ground, Boult’s ability to swing it early could be the single biggest factor deciding this whole match.
Corbin Bosch, MI New York
Bosch has quietly been one of MINY’s most reliable bowlers all season. He’s tall, hits the pitch hard, and gets the ball to bounce more than batters expect, which is precisely the kind of bowling that troubled LAKR’s top order on this exact surface just two nights ago.
Match Prediction
On paper, Seattle look like the team in better form, mostly because Hetmyer is playing some of the best cricket of his career right now. But this match might come down to the pitch more than either team’s batting.
If Seattle win the toss and simply bat first out of habit, without adjusting for what just happened here, they could easily walk into the same trap LAKR fell into. MINY’s bowling attack, with Boult and Bosch both in good rhythm, looks genuinely well built to make the most of a seaming, uneven pitch like this one.
Our call: MI New York to win this one, and it will likely be their bowlers, not their batters, who make the difference. But keep a close eye on the toss result before locking in your fantasy team, because whoever chooses to bowl first tonight has a real early advantage.
Also Read: Best Fantasy Cricket Apps for Women’s T20 World Cup 2026
Best Fantasy XI For MINY vs SO Tonight
| Player | Team | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Seifert | SO | Wicketkeeper |
| Shimron Hetmyer (C) | SO | Batter |
| Monank Patel | MINY | Batter |
| Nicholas Pooran (VC) | MINY | Batter |
| Marcus Stoinis | SO | All-Rounder |
| Dasun Shanaka | SO | All-Rounder |
| Corey Anderson | MINY | All-Rounder |
| Trent Boult | MINY | Bowler |
| Corbin Bosch | MINY | Bowler |
| Cameron Gannon | SO | Bowler |
| Jasdeep Singh | SO | Bowler |
Captain: Shimron Hetmyer. He just smashed an unbeaten 79 off 33 balls in his last innings. Even if the pitch gives bowlers a bit of help early on, a batter in Hetmyer’s kind of form only needs a few overs to take over a game completely, and captain picks earn you double points, so this is where you want your biggest boom or bust bet.
Vice Captain: Nicholas Pooran. He’s already delivered one matchwinning innings this season, and he captains a bowling attack that looks perfectly suited to whatever this pitch throws at it tonight. Picking him gets you a slice of MINY’s chase without having to guess exactly which of their bowlers grabs the big wickets.
Differential Pick: Corbin Bosch. Most people building their fantasy team tonight are going to load up on the obvious names, Hetmyer, Stoinis, and Boult, and stop there. Bosch shared seven wickets with Boult in MINY’s last game and fits the exact profile that worked so well for Washington Freedom’s bowlers at this same ground just two nights ago. Low ownership, genuine wicket taking threat.
FANTASY
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Q: What time does MINY vs SO start in India?
A: 1:30 PM IST on Friday July 3. That’s 1:30 AM local time in Pomona, California, so there is no need to stay up late for this one if you’re watching from India.
Q: What actually happened the last time a match was played at this ground?
A: LAKR vs WF on July 1 was the very first match ever played at the Knight Riders Cricket Field. LAKR batted first and were bowled out for only 108. Washington Freedom then chased it down with 6 wickets and 17 balls to spare. Both captains said afterwards that the pitch had uneven bounce and offered some swing to the bowlers.
Q: Should whoever wins the toss tonight bat or bowl first?
A: Based on the only match played here so far, bowling first is the safer choice. The team that batted first in that game collapsed badly.
Q: What is the head to head record between MINY and SO?
A: MI New York lead 3 wins to 2 across their last five meetings, including a win in the 2023 final. Every one of those five matches has been close.
Q: What is the current MLC 2026 points table standing for these two teams?
A: Seattle Orcas have 6 points from 6 matches, having won 3 and lost 3, with a net run rate of plus 0.277. MI New York have 4 points from 4 matches, having won 2 and lost 2, with a net run rate of plus 0.267.
Q: Is Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar playing for MI New York tonight?
A: He is part of the squad, but he has not played a single match yet this season. Check the official playing XI once it’s announced at the toss before picking him in your fantasy team.
Q: Who should I pick as captain for my fantasy team tonight?
A: Shimron Hetmyer is the standout pick right now. His last innings of an unbeaten 79 off 33 balls shows he is in the form of his life, and even on a tricky pitch, a batter that dangerous can win you the game almost single handedly.
Q: Where can I watch MINY vs SO live in India?
A: Star Sports 2 on television, and JioHotstar for live streaming.