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Chris Gayle's 13-year-old record T20 score of 175* came under serious threat from a rampant Mitchell Owen, whose breathtaking 68-ball 155, studded with 13 sixes and 11 fours, powered Washington Freedom to their first win of the MLC 2026 season. Owen ultimately fell 20 runs short of the all-time mark, but his extraordinary innings propelled Freedom to 245 for 5 - a total that proved beyond defending champions MI New York despite an unbeaten century from Kieron Pollard, who surpassed another Gayle milestone by becoming the highest run-scorer in T20 skyexchange cricket.
MI New York's decision to field first appeared justified on a batting-friendly surface at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. What they could not have anticipated was the destruction Owen would unleash. The Australian opener added 134 in just 9.3 overs with fellow Australian Steve Smith, whose contribution was a modest 27 off 21 balls.
Owen then stitched together another brisk partnership worth 82 with Mark Chapman, who struck 23 off 12 deliveries, while continuing his assault on the bowlers. He needed 25 balls to reach his fifty, only 16 more to bring up a hundred, and a further 19 to race to 150. The defining feature of the innings was the minimal margin for error he afforded the bowlers; anything even slightly off line or length disappeared to the boundary.
Having eclipsed the previous MLC record individual score of 151, set by Finn Allen against Washington Freedom last season, Owen still had 20 balls remaining when thoughts turned to Gayle's long-standing world record. Corbin Bosch, however, produced a superb return catch off his own bowling to end the remarkable innings. MI New York deserve credit for the way they finished the innings, conceding only 29 runs from the final 29 balls. That ensured the target remained 246 rather than something considerably steeper.
Even so, the chase never truly got going. Washington Freedom opened with Glenn Maxwell and the move paid immediate dividends as he removed Monank Patel in the first over. Maxwell then effected the run-out of Quinton de Kock before dismissing captain Nicholas Pooran, leaving MI New York reeling at 22 for 3. A fourth wicket before the end of the Powerplay effectively extinguished any realistic hopes of victory.
To their credit, the defending champions ensured their net run rate did not suffer a significant blow. Pollard led the resistance with a typically powerful innings, beginning with a 70-run stand alongside Romario Shepherd. Bosch later arrived at No. 8 and hammered an unbeaten 35 off just 14 balls, but by then the contest had long since turned academic.
Pollard reached his fifty off 32 balls and entered the final over on 87. He moved to 90 with three deliveries remaining before striking boundaries off the next two balls. Needing six off the final delivery for a century, he drilled Saurabh Netravalkar's full ball towards long-on and sprinted back for the second run as Bosch dived at the danger end to complete the run. The effort brought Pollard to his second T20 hundred on the same day he became the format's leading run-scorer.
Brief scores: Washington Freedom 245/5 in 20 overs (Mitchell Owen 155; Rushil Ugarkar 1-38) beat MI New York 215/6 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 100*; Glenn Maxwell 2-37) by 30 runs.
