Nicholas Pooran to Lead MI New York, Glenn Maxwell to Captain Washington Freedom in MLC 2025"

🧢 Pooran Takes Over as MI New York Captain 🏆 Title-Winning Star: Pooran played a pivotal role in MI New York's 2023 MLC title win, smashing: 💯 137 off 55 balls* in the final vs Seattle Orcas – a historic knock 🥇 388 runs in the season – tournament's highest run-scorer, 124 ahead of Quinton de Kock 🔁 Long MI Association: Drafted by MI in IPL 2017, though he didn’t play a match Now part of the MI Emirates (ILT20) and MI New York setups, showing MI’s long-term belief in his T20 leadership and batting 🔄 Leadership Transition 👑 Replaces Kieron Pollard, who led MI New York in their debut season and remains a key presence across MI’s global T20 teams 📈 Pooran’s elevation reflects his growing stature in franchise cricket, especially after his explosive 2024 where he led most charts for six-hitting and finished IPL 2025 with a strike rate of 196.25 Corey Anderson, who played most of his top-flight cricket for New Zealand before shifting allegiance to USA, will continue to lead San Francisco Unicorns - making him the only "local" captain of a team at MLC, while Heinrich Klaasen has also been confirmed to continue as the captain at Orcas. 🆕 Glenn Maxwell – Washington Freedom 🏏 Replaces: Steven Smith 🎯 Shift in focus: Recently retired from ODIs to prioritize T20s, with the 2026 T20 World Cup in mind 💪 Known for: Unmatched explosiveness, game awareness, and franchise leadership experience (BBL, IPL) ⚡ Why the Change at Washington Freedom? Steven Smith's availability for the entire MLC season was uncertain due to his Test commitments and evolving playing focus. Maxwell's T20-first approach aligns better with a full franchise campaign and preparation for future T20 tournaments.