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It’s a beast of a trophy. And it’s ours. We aren’t done gushing over Nicholas Pooran. Here he is, at the post-match press conference, walking in with his toddler daughter, and answering a whole range of questions. In this last one month, he’s given us memories to last us a lifetime. Excerpts..First thoughts on winning the championshipThe guys have been brilliant. This journey started last year for us when we lost in the eliminator. We got some different personnel, but the core stuck through. You see (Muhammad) Waseem or (Mohammad) Rohid or Waqar (Salamkheil) taking that opportunity and becoming match-winners. From day one, the objective was to win.&nbsp;On playing a captain’s inningsIt’s always important being the captain. Regardless of if I am the captain or not, I see myself as a leader and want to lead from the front. But in a tournament like this, everyone has to step up.&nbsp;To whom would he dedicate this winJust to the MI franchise. They are the most successful cricket franchise. This is their tenth win. Regardless of whether they have a strong team or not, their target is to win. This win is dedicated to them. They are very passionate. Really happy we could be the ones winning it for them.&nbsp;On the six dropped catchesThat was just one of our strategies to win (laughs). But I don’t want to comment too much on it. Maybe we could have won the game by a bigger margin. But at the end of the day, we got home.&nbsp;Thoughts on stepping up on the big nightFor me, it is all about stepping up. I believe if you want something in life, you have to go get it. Yes, finals is pressure, MI is a big franchise. I have lost a lot of games in my career so far and have learnt a lot. I could convert 20s into 30s, 30s into match-winning innings. Especially being not out as well in some innings. It is a big box for me to tick. Happy that all the all the hard work I have put in over the years is showing rewards, especially winning titles because that is big for me.&nbsp;On losing the toss and having to bat firstWe always wanted to bat today and I said it at the toss. Actions speak louder than words. It is exactly how we wanted to play the game.&nbsp;On Muhammad Waseem’s stellar formI expect franchises to take notice. Yes, he is a UAE player but he is very good. He is very aggressive, he has a lot to offer. He is young. I expect him to continue to perform and improve.&nbsp;Whether nervousness crept inChasing 208 was always going to be difficult, and thankfully we have a lot of senior players in the team. Even when Sam Billings was batting superbly, Bravo came up and said, ‘let’s make him hit over mid-off. Hopefully he can chip it’. Really nice to see it come off. You can’t buy experience. These guys have been in that situation. Even for myself, I have been captain for West Indies. I have had bad days and have made bad decisions. At this point, I have learnt a lot. It has helped me make better cricketing decisions. When you have really good quality players, you cannot ask for anything else. Akeal was bowling 2-3 overs in the powerplay for 10 runs. My job was easy.&nbsp;Summing up the ILT20 tournamentWe really wanted this win, and we got it. From the management to the physios, coaches, everyone, owner, director, works hard. The tournament is challenging. We played a game in Dubai, drive down and play a game in Abu Dhabi the next day.&nbsp;On being a part of the MI #OneFamilyI have said it before, I am a son of the T20 format and franchise cricket. The Mumbai franchise are one of the best in the world. That level of professionalism here is a good opportunity for every young player to interact with the legends as well. I had this opportunity when I was 20 years old in the IPL to come to Mumbai Indians and I got the opportunity to interact with Mahela Jayawardene, Sachin Tendulkar. Really happy to be involved and winning is just the icing on the cake.&nbsp;On the backing of the senior playersThe support was really important. Getting all the senior players to buy in and trust me 100%. Lucky to have them as teammates. We are building a relationship where most of the times I make a decision and they try and execute that plan 100%. As a young captain, support is really key. Boult, Bravo giving me that respect helped me a lot.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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“This one is for the MI Family. They are the best in the world”: Nicholas Pooran

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On the big night, at the biggest stage of them all, stand the champions – MI Emirates. After absolutely bossing the league stage in the second season of the ILT20, finishing on top of the points table, winning the first qualifier to ensure a direct entry into the final, and then totally bossing the big night, with a thumping win to cap off what has been an equally thumping campaign.&nbsp;CLT20 2011. IPL 2013. CLT20 2013. IPL 2015. IPL 2017. IPL 2019. IPL 2020. WPL 2023. MLC 2023. ILT20 2024.&nbsp;Let’s relive the big night!Another day, another massive opening standIf you were worried after a couple of quiet games where Muhammad Waseem and Kusal Perera weren’t quite hitting the sweet spot together, well, look no further. They stepped up to the task on the big night, and how! Waseem had a 24-ball 43 to his name, Perera a 26-ball 38, and together, MI Emirates had 77/0 in 6.3 overs. Proper carnage.&nbsp;Another final in the Blue and Gold, another Nicky P specialThe platform was set, and it was time for the explosion. And well, who better than our very own pocket dynamo, our skip, our leader, our man in form, Nicholas Pooran, to go berserk. With Andre Fletcher at the other end, they just went after everything, and Pooran finished with 57 off 27 balls with two fours and six sixes. MI Emirates had 208 on the board, and in all likelihood, the match in the bag.&nbsp;Another first over, another Akeal Hosein strikeHis inswingers have a fanbase of their own. And his strikes in the powerplay have been consistent all through the league. With the second ball, he trapped Dubai Capitals’ star from the previous innings, Leus du Plooy LBW. The Capitals just couldn’t recover. With the asking rate mounting and the rest of our bowlers striking regularly, the end was only a matter of time.&nbsp;Okay, here’s a fun fact: MI Emirates dropped at least half a dozen catches in the second innings, with the dew making fielding rather difficult. Still not for a second, did we look worried or under any pressure. That’s the sign of a team high on confidence. That’s the sign of a champion team. That’s what MI Emirates are tonight – CHAMPIONS OF ILT20 2024! &nbsp;

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MIEvDC Report: Make room for title #10 in the MI #OneFamily

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Habibi, it’s coming home! It’s title #10 in the Mumbai Indians #OneFamily! Our Blue is all set to get more Gold. The jinx of Dubai, the jinx of the Dubai Capitals who won both their league games against us, we’ve broken it all. Say it aloud, MI EMIRATES ARE THE ILT20 CHAMPIONS. Start the party. Start the celebrations.&nbsp;Another final of the Pooran madness in Blue and Gold. It’s not even been a year and we hadn’t come out of his exploits in the MLC for MI New York, and he’s brought that monster form on the big night, completely grabbing the game by its neck and lifting the total to a point where it was safely out of the reach of the Capitals. There’s really something about this iconic jersey of ours that brings out the best in the players. Let’s read what they said after scripting history in Dubai.Robin Singh | MI Emirates Head Coach:&nbsp;Feel a sense of relief. We wanted to win this tournament. We have a lot of players from last year, and people like Mahela and the whole back end team put things together brilliantly. Pooran led very well, led us instinctively at times. I’ve been around with the UAE players, and this format playing with International cricketers will be very helpful for the local players to understand what it takes to succeed at this level.Trent Boult: A big stage and the boys delivered. Everyone dreams of playing in big finals, happy to win. I have enjoyed myself, the wickets are always a challenge. The biggest challenge was moving between venues, but always great to play in a Mumbai shirt. I think this was the best wicket in the tournament, it got better in the second innings. We spoke hard about what it would be like to bowl second, and the spinners delivered for us once again. It was a great total we got, gave us a lot of runs to play with and 200 in a final is always challenging.Kieron Pollard: We came third last year, and this time we wanted to go all the way. We played as favourites and to get through means a lot for me, and the franchise. The guys will be under pressure next year, but we try and build a winning culture in the MI family. The way the guys batted, batting them out of the game in a final was brilliant. (On the fielding) It felt like we had a trampoline in our hands, everything was bouncing out. But fortunately, didn’t cost us tonight. (On Pooran) He has done it brilliantly, he continues to grow as a cricketer and a leader. Long may that continue.R Vinay Kumar | MI Emirates Assistant Coach: Great feeling. The efforts from the boys was outstanding. First time we scored 200 in this tournament, and the way the bowlers bowled was unbelievable. We treated this as any other game, and wanted to give our best. All about giving that 1% extra, that's what captain Pooran mentioned in the team meeting. This trophy is special, first one in my coaching career.Akeal Hosein: The senior guys showed me how to win. I think Fletcher stuck it out, and exploded in the end and the skipper took it on his shoulder to get us a big total.Dwayne Bravo: We needed this, it was a very important tournament for all of us. The leadership of Nicholas Pooran was brilliant, he deserved it. This is special, the first time in this tournament. In the team meeting we kept focusing on being champions. Feels good to be a champion again.

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HABIBI, MEET THE ILT20 2024 CHAMPIONS – MI EMIRATES

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It’s nearly time, the time to ensure our month-long effort culminates in the title. From our bowlers setting the tournament on fire, to the batters stepping up, to the conditions on offer, MI Emirates skipper, Nicholas Pooran, dives into a range of questions at the pre-match press conference in Dubai on Friday (February 16) ahead of the ILT20 2024 final. Excerpts..On the bowlers performing exceptionally wellWe spoke at the beginning of the tournament, that batsmen win you games but bowlers win you tournaments. Nice to see bowlers stepping up in these conditions and putting those performances in. Not just Fazalhaq Farooqi and Trent Boult but Akeal has been brilliant as well. Bravo is doing what he always does. We definitely cherish that and we are happy.&nbsp;On the MI emirates openers, Muhammad Waseem and Kusal PereraThose guys have been fantastic. But in T20 cricket it is all about adjusting to the conditions and the opposition. It is a big challenge where you play one attack today and then a completely different attack the next day.&nbsp;On Kieron Pollard and Dwayne BravoYou can’t buy experience. Not only experience, but that firepower and leadership qualities. We have the opportunity to learn from them. They have the won the most T20 titles, have the most wickets, have played the most matches.&nbsp;On the local UAE talent in the teamWaseem has been brilliant not just this year, but last year as well. It is important to have this tournament for these players. Really happy to see him getting the opportunity to see him do what he does. With the amount of T20 cricket happening in the world at the moment, good opportunity for him to showcase his talent to the world. When it comes to Rohid, we are just really happy for him. Bravo just loves this kid and the energy he brings. Rohid finds himself in a situation where if Boult doesn’t start well, we have to give him some overs. He is just happy to take the ball and run in with energy. That attitude makes a lot of difference. We are just happy for him that he gets this opportunity to express himself and learn at the same time. Just brilliant to have him and see how he goes.&nbsp;Thoughts on the conditions on offerWe expected earlier in the tournament that the pacers will have an impact. We knew there would be grass on the wicket and the ball would seam. Coming from the T10 tournament, we knew the ball would seam. But as the tournament goes along, the wicket slows down. Wrist spin is really important in world cricket and there is no surprise that these guys are having such an impact.&nbsp;His summary of MI Emirates’ campaign so farWe didn’t get off to the best start losing the first game of the tournament. For us it was just about understanding the conditions. In two years we won just one game in Dubai. Playing the last game was a challenge because we knew that if we wanted to qualify for the final, we had to win that game. We have been fantastic in Abu Dhabi and have had a 100% record in Sharjah. We had to come up with tactics. As a group we wanted to win. And to win, we need to step up as players. A lot of our players have been consistent. This is a long tournament. Form can change as well. But the fact of the matter was that we wanted to do well for the team and the franchise. Yes personnel have changed because of the international schedule and there is some chopping and changing, but the message is the same – giving 110% on the field and the results would take care of themselves.&nbsp;

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Nicholas Pooran: “We just want to give 110%, and the results would take care of themselves”

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Amidst the action coming in at breakneck speed for three weeks straight, it was nice to have this four day break to refresh, rejuvenate, and hit the ground running again. What’s interesting though, is that the MI Emirates side that will take the field on Thursday (February 8), will have a slightly new look to it with Nicholas Pooran, Akeal Hosein and Tim David having departed for national duty. In case you’re a little too engrossed in the ILT20 and haven’t been keeping up with the cricket in the rest of the world, and you’re wondering why these players need to depart, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are set to square off in a T20 series, as are Australia and West Indies.&nbsp;Having sealed a play-offs spot, what this means now is an opportunity for the rest of the squad players to have their moment under the sun and take us to our next immediate goal: finishing in the top two. We’ve said it a thousand times, but let’s say it again, every game has thrown up a new hero. Now’s the time and the opportunity for someone new to be unearthed.&nbsp;Our ledge, the MI #OneFamily superstar, Kieron Pollard is here. His exploits from the first season of ILT20 are still fresh in people’s heads, and he himself is coming in on the back of some good form in the SA20. It’s going to be a treat watching him light up the desert.&nbsp;What: Gulf Giants vs MI Emirates&nbsp; When: February 8, 2024 | 6:30pm local time, 8:00pm IST Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai What to expect: The two games that MI Emirates have lost have both been in Dubai. It’s time to correct that as well and seal a top two spot.&nbsp;

Match 9 | GGvMIE Preview: Polly is back as we continue our ‘Mission top-two’

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