Just a day after announcing his retirement from international cricket, Nicholas Pooran has been named captain of MI New York for the 2025 season of Major League Cricket (MLC). The 29-year-old Trinidadian replaces fellow West Indian Kieron Pollard, who led the side in the inaugural edition.
Pooran was a key figure in MI New York’s title-winning campaign last year. He smashed an unbeaten 137 off 55 balls in the final against Seattle Orcas, a knock that is still the highest individual score in MLC history. He also finished as the tournament’s top run-scorer with 388 runs, over 100 more than the next best, Quinton de Kock.
Though he never played a game for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL after being signed in 2017, Pooran’s ties with the MI franchise remain strong. He currently plays for MI Emirates in the ILT20 league and is now set to lead their New York-based team. Pooran’s appointment is one of several captaincy changes in MLC this season:
List of captains at MLC 2025
- Nicholas Pooran replaces Keiron Pollard as MI New York captain
- Glenn Maxwell will lead Washington Freedom, taking over from Steven Smith.
- Corey Anderson continues as captain of San Francisco Unicorns.
- Heinrich Klaasen remains at the helm for Seattle Orcas.
- Sunil Narine (LA Knight Riders) and Faf du Plessis (Texas Super Kings) are yet to be officially confirmed for 2025.
Defending champions Washington Freedom will kick off the new MLC season against the Unicorns on June 13 in Oakland. The final will be held on July 12.
