If Finn Allen’s record-breaking 51-ball 151 made the opening game of MLC 2025 memorable, the second of the season matched it for excitement, with two teams – whose better-known siblings have waged many battles at the IPL – playing out a thriller that had as many twists and turns as a 40-over contest can possibly have.
Chasing 186 for victory against Texas Super Kings, MI New York looked out of the contest, then roared right back, then lost their way, found it again, but then stopped three runs short as Daryl Mitchell, who had triggered the previous turning point in the game, bowled a last over of yorkers and slower deliveries to concede just five to the ninth-wicket pair of Tajinder Singh and Naveen-ul-Haq.
It was a special comeback from TSK, as they turned the result their way despite MINY needing 27 from 20 balls with six wickets in hand.
The chase had started direly for MINY with the with the scoreboard reading 32 for 3 after the powerplay. It wasn’t a huge chase, but you wouldn’t want to lose Quinton de Kock and Nicholas Pooran, as well as Agni Chopra, that soon. But that is what happened thanks to Adam Milne and Noor Ahmad. The innings needed rebuilding, so Monak Patel, the No. 3, and Michael Bracewell, possibly MINY’s best bowler earlier, took it upon themselves to do that.
They needed to steady the ship first, which they did, only one four – hit by Bracewell – came between Pooran’s dismissal and the end of the seventh over. But then a little impetus was needed, which came as they scored 11, 16, 15, 14 and 17 in the next five overs. And suddenly it was even stevens – 76 needed from 48.
Monank had gotten to his half-century, off 33 balls, by then, and Bracewell looked good to join him at the mark, but Milne’s reintroduction provided the next twist in the tale, though it really was Faf du Plessis’ wicket more than anyone else’s. Milne bowled short outside off, Bracewell gave it a thwack, du Plessis leapt and plucked the ball out of the air one-handed at wide mid-off.
If that had a whiff of a turning point, the real one came a few overs later. Kieron Pollard, 38 and replaced as team captain by Pooran, went 4, 6, 4 and 4 against the gentle medium pace of Mitchell to make it 27 needed from 20. Till Mitchell’s sprint to midwicket, pick-up-turn-and-throw-the-stumps-down play sent both Pollard and Monank back off successive deliveries.
That was the proper turning point. Only three fours came in the last three overs, two more wickets fell, and Mitchell’s last over, where just one big hit could have finished off the game, had just three runs off the bat, plus a bye and a leg-bye.
Earlier, till the halfway stage of the Super Kings innings, it didn’t look like they would get anywhere near a strong total. Sure, Devon Conway was around, on 36, but he had taken 26 balls to get there. And three wickets had fallen at the other end.
That became five by the end of the 12th over, and Conway was still only on 38 from 28.
Which is when things started to change. Calvin Savage, the one-time South Africa Under-19 man and now a USA player, joined Conway and showed his skills with the bat. The 13th over began with a four from Savage off Bracewell, who had picked up two of the five wickets to fall at that stage, and Conway struck the fourth six of his innings two balls later. It wasn’t frenetic, but by the end of the 16th, Super Kings had 140 on the board.
Sixes seemed easier to come by than fours as Conway and Savage helped themselves to quite a few, and the partnership reached 79 before Conway, who got his half-century off 35 balls, was run-out for a 44-ball 66. Savage got to his fifty before time ran out, too, ending unbeaten on a 34-ball 53. Between them, the two hit nine sixes. Super Kings scored 110 runs in boundaries. MINY scored 114. Both innings had a dot-ball percentage of 33. Almost nothing to separate them but holding your nerve and winning the key moments.
Brief scores: Texas Super Kings 185 for 6 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 65, Faf du Plessis 18, Milind Kumar 19, Calvin Savage 53*; Ehsan Adil 1-36, Naveen ul-Haq 1-39, Michael Bracewell 2-34, Sunny Patel 1-23) beat MI New York 182 for 8 in 20 overs (Monank Patel 62, Michael Bracewell 38, Kieron Pollard 32, Tajinder Singh 12*; Adam Milne 3-22, Noor Ahmad 1-33, Mohammad Mosin 1-27) by three runs
The Colombo District Waste Management Subcommittee, operating under the Colombo District Coordinating Committee, convened at Parliament on 22 July with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.The meeting reviewed the current measures being implemented to address issues relating to the disposal of municipal solid waste in the Western Province, following up on matters discussed at previous meetings. Particular attention was also given to future plans for improving solid waste management. In addition, discussions focused on promoting the proper use of compost bins among the public.
Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to develop an effective mechanism to ensure the proper implementation of existing waste management policies. The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of raising public awareness of citizens’ responsibility to dispose of waste appropriately.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Urban Development Eranga Gunasekara; Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Colombo District Development Committee Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi; Colombo District Secretary Ginige Prasanna Janaka Kumara; Chief Secretary of the Western Province Pradeep Pushpakumara; officials of the Colombo District Secretariat, the Waste Management Authority (WMA), the Urban Development Authority (UDA), the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), and the Colombo Municipal Council.
A preliminary planning meeting for the Sri Dalada Maha Perahera 2026 of the Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya was held this morning (23) at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The meeting focused on preparations for this year’s Esala Festival, during which the 126th Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya Sri Dalada Maha Perahera will take place. The annual procession is scheduled to commence at 8.00 p.m. on 12 September 2026.
Discussions centred on ensuring that the Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya Perahera is organised with due grandeur and dignity through the full coordination of the Government. Attention was also given to the necessary preparatory arrangements, institutional support and logistical requirements for the successful conduct of the event.
The meeting further reviewed the contributions of the various State institutions involved in the organisation of the Perahera, as well as the financial and logistical support to be provided by both public and private sector sponsors.
Among those present were the Chief Incumbent of the Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya and Deputy Registrar of the Sri Kalyani Samasri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha, Venerable Dr Aluthnuwara Anuruddha Nayaka Thera, Buddhist Affairs Coordinator of the Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Divisional Secretariat, Venerable Urugamuwe Dhammadassi Thera, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Harsha Vithanaarachchi, Mayor of Kotte Arosha Athapaththu, Chairman of the Maharagama Municipal Council Saman Samarakoon, Divisional Secretary of Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Kasun Epa Senevirathne, together with representatives of State institutions, sponsoring organisations and senior officials of the security forces.
The Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing trawler and apprehended nine Indian fishermen whilst engaged in illegal fishing having crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in Sri Lankan waters North of Talaimannar on Wednesday (22 July 2026). evening.
Over 50 Indian fishing trawlers had trespassed into the Sri Lankan waters South of Iranativu engaging in illegal fishing. During the operation, one Indian fishing trawler was seized, while nine Indian fishermen on board were taken into custody
The apprehended fishermen and the seized trawler were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Mannar for onward legal proceedings.
