The MI and the Washington Freedom faced off in the third season title match of the Major Cricket League (MLC), a franchise cricket league held in the United States of America. The final showdown took place in Dallas, Texas. While the MI recreated the MLC’s inaugural season’s picture yesterday by winning the title for the second time, the Washington Freedom fell short in claiming the second title of the franchise. MI New York won by a short margin of 5 runs last night. Ricky Ponting, who was the coach of the Washington-based franchise, has suffered his second defeat as the coach.
Ricky Ponting has been an unlucky head coach in 2025 💔#TATAIPL #MajorLeagueCricket pic.twitter.com/1u6Ets8WVS
— Cricketangon (@cricketangon) July 14, 2025
Coaching Setbacks
Once known as one of the most feared captains for Australia, Ponting led the dormant Australian team in the 2000s and won them back-to-back World Cups in 2003 and 2007. But it seems former Aussie skipper struggles when it comes to coaching. After getting the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 finals this year, Ponting went on to provide his expertise in the United States for the Washington Freedom. This was the second time in the year that Ponting suffered defeat after reaching the finals in franchise cricket. Ponting was called upon to coach the Punjab Kings in 2024, whereas he has been the coach for the Washington Freedom since its inauguration in 2023.
Punjab Lost IPL By 6 Runs
The final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 between 2 powerhouses of cricket, the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on June 3, 2025. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their maiden IPL title after 18 years since its inauguration. The Punjab Kings chose to field after winning the toss. RCB batted a total of 190 runs in 20 years and limited the Punjab Kings to 184 runs. The nail-biting final concluded with RCB’s 6-run victory.
Washington Faced Defeat By 5 Runs
The Major Cricket League (MLC) also witnessed a thrilling contest between the MI New York and the Washington Freedom, where the former emerged victorious and claimed their 2nd MLC title since its inauguration in 2023. Quinton de Kock, playing for MI, played a blazing innings and smashed 77 runs, but the Player of the Match was bagged by Rushil Ugarkar for his commendable performance with the ball by taking 2 wickets and conceding just 32 runs.
Also Read: MI New York Wins MLC 2025 Final After 22-Year Old Rushil Ugarkar Delivers Game-Changing Final Over
