Major League Cricket is getting a lot of attention as the tournament is getting exciting with every passing season. The 2025 season witnessed some entertaining contests. The tournament witnessed some brilliant individual performances from some of the best performers in T20 Cricket from across the globe. In this piece, we discuss three batters who showed their destructive hitting with the bat, which enabled them to register the highest strike rates in the season. 

These batters batted with aggression, hitting some powerful shots, putting pressure on the opposition bowlers. The batters mentioned in the list possess different skill sets and techniques when it comes to their stroke play, but they entertained the crowds in a big way and also accelerated their strike rates, thus playing a key role for their respective sides. We discuss these batters in detail:

1.Finn Allen (San Francisco Unicorns, strike rate- 225.00 in 9 MLC games)

The New Zealander is known for his powerful hitting abilities. Allen hit the ball powerfully down the ground. The 26-year-old cut the ball hard and played some powerful strokes with his back foot and front foot punches. Allen hit 35 sixes in the entire MLC season. that reflects the power the right-hander possesses.

The right-hander registered a strike rate of 225.0 in 9 MlC games this season, scoring 333 runs with a highest score of 151 in 9 matches. Allen pulled the ball and adjusted his stroke play well on different wickets accordingly. He hit some powerful shots on the up.

2.Donovan Ferriera(Texas Super Kings, strike rate-213.9 in10 MLC games)

The South African wasn't afraid of hitting the aerial shots, and his ability to take risks by playing shots during the middle overs highlighted his fearless attitude with the bat. The 26-year-old registered a strike rate of 213.9 in 10 MLC games this season, scoring 248 runs.

The wicket-keeper batter hit some powerful pull shots, and his flat-batted shots enabled him to clear the boundaries easily, thus helping him to accelerate his strike rate. Ferriera faced the spinners with an attacking mindset.

Also Read: MLC 2025 Trophy All Award Winners: Check Out Full List

3.Shimron Hetmyer (Seattle Orcas, strike rate-209.87 in 8 MLC games)

The West Indian cricketer can destroy any bowling lineup on his day, and Hetmyer was at his best when it came to his ability to take apart the opposition bowling lineups in the entire MLC season. The left-hander cracked the powerful shots with his strong bottom hand. The 28-year-old registered a strike rate of 209.87 in 8 MLC games this season, scoring 347 runs with 3 half-centuries to his name.

Hetmyer played some powerful drives and smashed the pacers with his trademark shots over deep square leg. The Guyanese cricketer shifts his front leg across, which enables him to hit the pacers by opening his arms.

Major League Cricket is getting a lot of traction these days as some of the best T20 performers are participating in the tournament. The third edition of this League recently concluded, but it is witnessing an impressive rise in its popularity. The 2025 season witnessed some intriguing contests between some of the best sides in the League. It also witnessed some of the best bowling performances from some of the best T20 bowlers in world cricket.

In this piece, we highlight about three bowlers who registered the best bowling figures by taking wickets during crucial moments of the game that changed the fate of a particular game. The bowlers mentioned in the list possessed different skills as far as their ability to adjust their length and variety as per different playing conditions and wickets, but they were the game changers for their respective sides. We discuss these bowlers in detail:

1.Mitchell Owen (5/17 - Washington Freedom vs San Francisco Unicorns- 29th of June 2025)

Mitchell Owen is among the upcoming talents in the Australian cricket set-up. The all-rounder impressed with his pace and clever seam movement. The 23-year-old caused problems for the batters with his slower ones.

He registered figures of 5/17 against San Francisco Unicorns on the 28th of June 2025, taking a crucial wicket of opener Matt Short. He claimed 14 wickets in the entire season. The right-arm medium pacer took crucial wickets when needed for Washington Freedom. His performance helped Washington Freedom win by 12 runs.

2.Adam Milne (5/23- Texas Super Kings vs Seattle Orcas-6th of July 2025)

The New Zealand pacer bowled brilliantly against Seattle Orcas on the 6th of July 2025, where his pace and bounce were too hot to handle for the Seattle Orcas batters. The 33-year-old pacer registered figures of 5/23 for Texas Super Kings against Seattle Orcas on the 6th of July 2025.

His length, combined with his late swing, troubled the Seattle Orcas batters. Texas Super Kings scored 188/5 in 20 overs batting first, and Milne's performance helped TSK win by 51 runs at the Central Broward Regional Park, Lauderhill, Florida. He claimed 14 wickets in the entire season. Milne took the crucial wicket of former Australian opener David Warner.

Also Read: Australia confirm playing XI for 1st T20I against West Indies as PBKS batter set to debut

3.Trent Boult (4/17- Mumbai Indians New York vs Los Angeles Knight Riders- 3rd July 2025)

The former New Zealand pacer showed excellent bowling performances under pressure, taking key wickets at regular intervals with his swing and pace. His ability to swing the ball both ways is amazing. 

Boult registered figures of 4/17 for the Mumbai Indians New York against the Los Angeles Knight Riders on the 3rd of July 2025 at Central Broward Regional Park, Lauderhill, Florida. Mumbai Indians won the match chasing a target of 155 by 8 wickets. He claimed crucial wickets of Unmukt Chand and Andre Russell. Boult showed his experience during pressure situations,Mitchell  claiming 15 wickets in the entire season..

The 2025 season of Major League Cricket has concluded with MI New York as the champion side, and Washington Freedom finished the campaign as the second-best team of MLC 2025. Along with the trophy for the champions, there were several other trophies in the tournament, like the most valuable player of the series, leading run scorer, leading wicket taker, etc. Through this content, we’ll derive which player won which award.

Full list of trophy winners of MLC 2025:

Under 23 Player of the tournament: This trophy deserved none other than MI New York talent Rushil Ugarkar. The amount of hard work he did, and then the outcome: the young pacer got the award as the most deserving candidate. In MLC 2025 with MINY, the U23 claimed 10 wickets in 8 matches with an economy rate of 9.05. Rushil also got the man of the match award for his impactful bowling in the final versus Washington Freedom.

Domestic player of the tournament: One of the main reasons to organize these kinds of franchise leagues is to offer a stage for local talents. Bart King, another MI New York player, finished out the season in style. His credibility in batting became an asset for the MI franchise. In MLC 2025, the emerging cricketer amassed a whopping 478 runs for the brigade in blue.

Read More: 'Hey Dwayne Bravo...'- Kieron Pollard addresses his friend after winning MLC 2025 with MINY

Leading wicket taker: The Australian right-arm fast-medium emerged as the leading wicket taker of the season. The San Francisco Unicorn bowler bagged a total of 18 scalps in MLC 2025, including a 4/28 bowling figure. The pacer was able to keep his economy rate (8.86) low as well in the process.

Leading run scorer: Another exciting category to take a look at. Surpassing Faf du Plessis, MINY batter Monank Patel became the leading run getter of the tournament. Throughout the tournament, his dominating batting claimed a total of 478 runs for the MLC 2025 season and became one of the main reasons behind MINY’s triumph.

MVP of the series: Here comes the most valuable performer of the series, and it goes to Mitchell Owen. The Washington Freedom all-rounder showed his brilliant all-round skills during MLC 2025. The Australian cricketer wrapped the season with 14 wickets and 313 runs to his name.

It was during a practice game between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans (MI) when Rohit Sharma asked a young Rushil Ugarkar, the 22-year-old, who came as the support bowler for the Mumbai Indians, to set the field for Virat Kohli from the television screen. The youngster felt that the veteran batter would perhaps get out at long leg, and guess what, two balls later, it happened exactly.

Later, Rohit Sharma broke down Phil Salt’s game plan to Rushil Ugarkar in a 15-minute session in detail, and that brought the cricketing brain of the right-arm pacer into the light. He was delivered by one of the best captains of the shortest format. Ugarkar warmed up well with a five-run penultimate over against the Washington Freedom before the start of the season.

See Also: [WATCH] Rushil Ugarkar defends 12 runs in final over to win MLC 2025 for MI New York

The method was excellent for the 22-year-old, who set a 6-3 field, which shows his belief in the plan and execution of it. He has the wish to bowl fast, but what stands out for any player in world cricket is how they keep their ego aside, as Ugarkar did against the LA Knight Riders when he went with the slower deliveries.

Who is Rushil Ugarkar? The 22-year-old winged under Rohit Sharma’s guidance

After being smashed for a boundary off the very first ball, Ugarkar had enough game plan for the Knight Riders’ contest. He pulled back the pace to 110s in the next 20 balls of the spell and kept nagging the off-cutters besides the variations to fox the powerful international batters like Sherfane Rutherford. During a game when Shimron Hetmyer smashed 97* in a chase of 238, the spring chicken ended with 1/29.

22 Year Old Rushil Ugarkar defended 12 runs in the Final over against Maxwell and Phillips. 🔥pic.twitter.com/RIGojIZJiB

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 14, 2025

Ugarkar, born in St. Louis in Missouri, has featured in only 10 MLC 2025 games this season and has no international experience as of now. He finished this edition with 11 wickets at an average of 24.45 and a strike rate of just under 18 with an economy rate of 8.49, thanks to the bowling figure of 3/19 in an innings.

He had a huge job of defending 12 runs in the final over of the season against Glenn Maxwell and Glenn Phillips. Any young bowler could easily get exposed against two veteran international campaigners, but that wasn’t the case with Rushil, who also dismissed the Australian batter and scripted a five-run victory for the New York side.  

Another trophy win for the MI franchise, another title in the format. Kieron Pollard registered his name in the history books after winning the MLC 2025 with MI New York. During the post-match presentation ceremony, Pollard addressed his former teammate Dwayne Bravo, another legend of T20 cricket, about his feat at the age of 38.

The MLC 2025 final between MI New York and Washington Freedom was an absolute nail-biting competition. By only 5 runs, the brigade in blue outsmarted their opponents and became the champion of the tournament. With this, Pollard added his 17th T20 trophy into his trophy cabinet, the same as his countryman Dwayne Bravo.

"Hey Dwayne Bravo, look at me now, another trophy," Pollard said after the MI NY vs. Washington Freedom, MLC 2025 final match. Among those 17 T20 titles, the all-rounder claimed only 10 with the MI franchise. During his T20 tenure, the legend of the format amassed almost 14000 T20 runs, 200-plus wickets, and more than 200 catches. 

Read More: [WATCH] ENG vs IND 2025: Mohammed Siraj intense celebration on Ben Duckett's face after taking his wicket at Lord's

The final of MLC 2025 in brief 

Though in the final of MLC 2025, the Caribbean was not able to impress the audience. After facing 3 balls, he went back to the hut with a duck, and with the ball, he offered a total of 20 runs in a couple of overs. Trent Boult and Rushil Ugarkar emerged as the heroes of the match by clinching a brace each. Rachin Ravindra (70), Glenn Phillips (48*), and Jack Edwards (33) batted well to match the required run rate, but that was not enough. In the crucial moments, Washington Freedom lost wickets, and New York tightened their grip on the match.

Quinton de Kock, MI NY opener, scored 77 off 46 to secure 180 on the scoreboard in the 20-over quota. Washington in their innings got 175 for 5. Ugarkar claimed the man of the match award for his clinical bowling spell. 

It was such a strange edition of the Major League Cricket (MLC) where, despite winning just three games in the group stage of the tournament, the MI New York lifted the trophy of the 2025 season. The 22-year-old Rushil Ugarkar got the opportunity to write history for himself and the franchise against two incredible veteran international batters, Glenn Maxwell and Glenn Phillips. 

Coming into the last over of the MLC 2025 final, the pressure was incredible on the young fast bowler, who, however, had the guidance of the two experienced bowlers, Trent Boult in the field and Lasith Malinga from the coaching dugout. The first couple of balls leaked just two singles, which brought calmness to his procedure.

See Also: ‘No one does better than…’- Nasser Hussain Lauds star Indian player during ENG vs IND 3rd Test at Lord’s

The third delivery of the over saw the batter make a wild swing in the big leg side, but Maxwell missed as the ball rolled onto the wicket-keeper’s hands. On the fourth delivery of the over, the Australian batter couldn’t time the slower ball and found the deep mid-wicket fielder. The final ball of the over went for a boundary, but it didn’t matter to anyone as the MI New York scripted a five-run victory to lift the title.

[WATCH] Rushil Ugarkar bowls superb final over to win MLC 2025 for MI New York

New York came into the game with a four-match losing streak against the Washington Freedom, who won the toss and decided to bowl first. Quinton de Kock smashed a fine 77-run knock in 46 deliveries with the help of six boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of nearly 170. However, none of the other batters could step up in the crisis period. 

22 Year Old Rushil Ugarkar defended 12 runs in the Final over against Maxwell and Phillips. 🔥pic.twitter.com/RIGojIZJiB

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 14, 2025

Later, it was Kunwarjeet Singh, who remained unbeaten on 22 runs in 13 balls, to shoulder the New York side to 180/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Lockie Ferguson finished with a fine spell of 3/21 in his four overs, thanks to an economy rate of 5.2.

Rachin Ravindra was the lone fighter in the chase among the top three with his 70 runs in 41 balls, thanks to a strike rate of 170.73. Jack Edwards drilled 33 runs in 22 balls at a strike rate of 150. The hope was on Phillips and Maxwell to pull the chase off, but they failed and fell short of the chase by five runs.

The MLC 2025 final took place between MI New York and Washington Freedom at Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas. Washington won the toss and decided to bowl in order to chase under lights. MI New York posted a solid total with some key knocks from Quinton de Kock and Monank Patel. Their bowlers then held their nerve in a tight finish to win the title by 5 runs.

MI New York Innings

Batting first in the final, MI New York posted a challenging total of 180/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Quinton de Kock played a fantastic innings, anchoring the effort with 77 runs off 46 balls, hitting boundaries at will. Monank Patel gave him some solid support with a quickfire of 28 from 22 balls, which helped keep the momentum. in the finishing stages, Kunwarjeet Singh provided 22 off 13 balls to lift the score close to 180. Washington’s bowlers tried to fight back, with Lockie Ferguson delivering an impressive spell of 3/21 from his 4 overs. Ian Holland (1/14 in 2) and Saurabh Netravalkar (1/31 in 4) provided tight overs during the middle stages, but the MI batters did enough to set a defendable target.

Washington Freedom Innings

In reply, Washington Freedom provided a spirited chase but ultimately fell just short, finishing at 175/5 in their 20 overs. Rachin Ravindra scored an untroubled 70 runs from 41 deliveries and provided a solid foundation. Glenn Phillips finished with a confident 48 off 34 and looked to have tilted the game Freedom's way. Jack Edwards chipped in with a handy 33 off 22 in the middle order. However, MI New York’s bowling attack held its nerve under pressure. Trent Boult led from the front with 2/32, while Rushil Ugarkar also claimed 2/32 to keep the chase in check. Nosthush Kenjige (1/30 in 3 overs) bowled crucial overs at the death to close out a thrilling final.

See Also: WATCH: 'That's what I have manifested....' - Washington Sundar wish after end of Day 4 at Lords in ongoing ENG vs IND 3rd Test

MI New York vs Washington Freedom: Match Scorecard

MI New York – 180/7 (20 Overs)

Washington Freedom – 175/5 (20 Overs)

The MI New York create history at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas by lifting their maiden Major League Cricket (MLC) title by defeating Washington Freedom on Sunday. The Mumbai-origin Rushil Ugarkar emerged as the true hero for MINY and was adjudged Player of the Match (POTM) for his tight bowling at the death. 

Tasked with defending 12 in the final over against the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Glenn Phillips, the 22-year-old youngster showcased an immense degree of resilience to overcome some of the best power hitters in world cricket. In his first three balls, Ugarkar conceded only two runs as both Maxwell and Phillips struggled to lineup his slower deliveries. 

With 10 needed of three, Maxwell ran out of patience and eventually gave away his wicket by holing out to the fielder at deep mid wicket. By that point, the game was nearly decided in favor of MINY. But Ugarkar and his men were still not out of the woods as Pienaar made it to the middle. Ugarkar's next two deliveries were also slower balls, with only one of them getting dispatched to the boundary for a four. 

See also: MLC 2025, Final: MI New York vs Washington Freedom full match highlights

Watch the winning moment:

22 Year Old Rushil Ugarkar defended 12 runs in the Final over against Maxwell and Phillips. 🔥pic.twitter.com/RIGojIZJiB

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 14, 2025

Decoding the rise of MI New York in MLC 2025

Unlike the San Francisco Unicorns or Washington Freedom, the MI New York had far from an ideal start. Their journey had its fair share of highs and lows, and the franchise had to endure a topsy-turvy ride throughout the entirety of the league stage. With just one win in seven games, many experts predicted an exit for them. 

But it all changed when they took on the Knight Riders towards the end of the league stage. Two consecutive wins against them put them back on track momentarily. Their misery finally came to an end when the Seattle Orcas, who seemed to be in contention for the fourth spot, lost to the Super Kings by 51 runs, thus putting them marginally ahead of the Orcas in terms of NRR.

After narrowly getting away with a fourth spot qualification, MINY did not hesitate to look back and made every opportunity count. Trent Boult became an unlikely hero in the Eliminator clash against the Unicorns and starred with both the bat and the ball. At a time when defeat seemed evident, Boult slammed an unbeaten 22 out of nowhere to help MINY prevail in a low-scoring run chase. And then in the Qualifier 2 game, Pooran and Pollard put on a show in the final four overs to snatch victory from the Super Kings in emphatic style. 

Rushil Ugarkar's rise came at a vital time for the franchise. The 23-year-old peaked at the right time and finished as the third-highest wicket-taker for his franchise, claiming 11 wickets at a healthy average of 24. Besides, the youngster has openly credited his success to the former Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who played a key role in helping him sharpen his cricketing IQ during the IPL 2025 season. 

It is the Final of the MLC 2025, where the Washington Freedom vs MI New York (WAS vs NY) match will be played on Sunday evening, July 13 (starting at 05:30 on July 14).

MLC 2025, Final: WAS vs NY - Detailed Match Preview

Match Type: Playoffs (Final)

Match No: 34

Match: Washington Freedom vs MI New York (WAS vs NY)

Venue: Grand Prairie Stadium, Grand Prairie

Local Match Date (Day): July 13 (Sunday)

Indian Match Date (Day): July 14 (Monday) 

Official Toss Time (Indian Time): 18:30 local time (05:00 next day morning)

Official Match Start Time (Indian Time): 19:00 local time (05:30 next day morning)

See Also: MLC 2025, Final: Probable Playing XI for WAS vs NY

MLC 2025, Final: WAS vs NY - Venue Stats

In the MLC 2025, it will be the 16th match at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie in Dallas. Apart from one no result in the Qualifier, this MLC 2025 venue has experienced five successful defending results and nine successful chases. 

MLC 2025, Final: WAS vs NY - Teams’ Status

Washington Freedom: Played - 11; Won - 8; Lost - 2; No Result - 1 

• Lost by 123 runs vs San Francisco Unicorns
• Won by 5 wickets vs Seattle Orcas
• Won by 113 runs vs Los Angeles Knight Riders
• Won by 2 wickets vs MI New York
• Won by 7 wickets vs Texas Super Kings
• Won by 5 wickets vs Los Angeles Knight Riders
• Won by 12 runs vs San Francisco Unicorns
• Lost by 43 runs vs Texas Super Kings
• Won by 8 wickets vs Seattle Orcas
• Won by 6 wickets vs MI New York
• (Qualifier) No Result vs Texas Super Kings

MI New York: Played - 12; Won - 5; Lost - 7 

• Lost by 3 runs vs Texas Super Kings
• Lost by 3 wickets vs San Francisco Unicorns
• Won by 7 wickets vs Seattle Orcas
• Lost by 2 wickets vs Washington Freedom
• Lost by 47 runs vs San Francisco Unicorns
• Lost by 3 wickets vs Seattle Orcas
• Lost by 39 runs vs Texas Super Kings
• Won by 8 wickets vs Los Angeles Knight Riders
• Won by 6 runs vs Los Angeles Knight Riders
• Lost by 6 wickets vs Washington Freedom
• (Eliminator) Won by 2 wickets vs San Francisco Unicorns
• (Challenger) Won by 7 wickets vs Texas Super Kings

MLC 2025, Final: WAS vs NY - Head-to-Head

• It will be their third meeting in the MLC 2025. Washington Freedom won both their league stage meetings by two wickets and six wickets, respectively. 

Washington Freedom vs MI New York (WAS vs NY) will be played in the MLC 2025 Final on Sunday evening, July 13 (starting at 05:30 on July 14) at Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie in Dallas.

MLC 2025, Final: WAS vs NY Probable XIs

Washington Freedom Predicted Playing XI: Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Owen, Andries Gous (wk), Glenn Maxwell (Captain), Jack Edwards, Glenn Phillips, Ian Holland, Obus Pienaar, Saurabh Netravalkar, Mukhtar Ahmed, Lockie Ferguson

MI New York Predicted Playing XI: Monank Patel, Quinton de Kock (wk), Nicholas Pooran (Captain), Kieron Pollard, Michael Bracewell, Tajinder Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Trent Boult, Tristan Luus, George Linde, Rushil Ugarkar

See Also: MLC 2025, Final: Probable Playing XI for WAS vs NY

MLC 2025, Final: WAS vs NY Dream11 Top Captains And Vice-captains

Top 3 Dream11 Captain choices

Monank Patel: USA cricketer Monank Patel is the second leading run-scorer in the MLC 2025 with 450 runs in 12 innings with an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of 143.31, including four half-centuries. His last five innings were 56, 13, 6, 33, and 49 runs, respectively.

Mitchell Owen: Australian youngster Mitchell Owen has scored 313 runs and taken 14 wickets in 11 matches in the MLC 2025. Apart from two half-centuries, he has recorded one fifer in this season.

Glenn Maxwell: Australian star Glenn Maxwell, the Washington Freedom skipper, has scored 237 runs and also picked up nine wickets in 11 matches in this MLC season. He has recorded one century in this tournament, but also won two Player of the Match awards for his bowling performances. 

Top 3 Dream11 Vice-captain choices

Nicholas Pooran: MI New York captain Nicholas Pooran has scored 339 runs in 12 innings in the MLC 2025 with an average of 37.66 and a strike rate of 135.60, including one century and two half-centuries. His last seven innings were 108*, 8, 62*, 30, 12, 1, and 52*

Trent Boult: New Zealand left-arm fast bowler Trent Boult has taken 13 wickets in 11 matches this MLC season. He has recorded one four-wicket haul this tournament. 

Kieron Pollard: Former Caribbean all-rounder Kieron Pollard has scored 317 runs and also taken six wickets in the MLC 2025. He has recorded two half-centuries in this tournament, and his last five innings were 70, 14*, 50, 5, and 47* runs, respectively.