MI New York (Playing XI): Steven Taylor, Nicholas Pooran(w), Monank Patel, Shayan Jahangir, Dewald Brevis, Kieron Pollard(c), Romario Shepherd, Rashid Khan, Nosthush Kenjige, Trent Boult, Ehsan Adil

Washington Freedom (Playing XI): Travis Head, Steven Smith(c), Rachin Ravindra, Andries Gous(w), Glenn Maxwell, Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Marco Jansen, Akeal Hosein, Ian Holland, Lockie Ferguson

Pitch report:

MI New York have won the toss and have opted to field

Pitch report by Pommie Mbangwa and Chris Morris: It's hot. 196ft and 242ft square boundaries, 242ft down the ground. Good covering of grass. Pitch will dry up in this heat. Going to be a very good wicket and should be an even contest.

18:30 Local Time, 23:30 GMT, 05:00 IST: Hello and welcome, we’re building up to what’s a crucial encounter for both these sides. The MI New York have been pretty inconsistent thus far and with the business end of the tournament approaching, they’ll be desperate to get their act together. Placed 4th on the table with just one win to their name, New York will be keen to get some winning momentum. Meanwhile, the story is a bit different for the Freedom who’re sitting pretty at the top of the table. Three wins and a washout from their 4 games mean that they’re unbeaten so far. Unfortunately, shoddy weather has been an unwelcome guest at this year’s MLC party and forecasts suggest that rain could disrupt today’s fixture as well. All we can do is hope for clear weather. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.

Preview

Nearly halfway through the 2024 edition of Major League Cricket and it's that time of the season where each match counts for much more. Particularly for teams that haven't had a consistent run yet, like MI New York. The defending champions have registered just a single win from four games, having lost two games and suffered a washout. Kieron Pollard's side look formidable on paper but haven't been able to put across collective performances on the park just yet. Their most recent game against theTexas Super Kings being a case in point.

With bat and ball, MI New York were shoddy in the first half and then left too much to do with the back end to salvage things. The inconsistency in both departments has hurt the side, more so in the batting department. The form of Rashid Khan with the ball and bat has been the lone spark for the reigning champions thus far but he'll need more support from the others to turn things around. Perhaps, a rejig of the top order could be on the cards after Monank Patel's return to form, which might allow the USA captain to go to his preferred opening spot.

Washington Freedom have been impressive so far without completely dominating their opponents. Their well-rounded bowling attack has often done the job, allowing the batters to operate leisurely. That said, Freedom's batting unit is full of firepower and they could cause serious carnage when they click. For now, it's the openers Travis Head and Steve Smith who have done the bulk of the scoring, and the table toppers would hope that the middle order could get clicking.

They were tested a bit against Seattle Orcas but got bailed out by Obus Pienaar and Lahiru Milantha who stitched a calculative partnership under pressure to see the side home. All of Freedom's matches have come while chasing and that could be an area for them to ponder about, given that they are yet to bat first in this tournament. Setting scores has been the toughest part for sides and with the chasing bias getting stronger, Smith's men will hope to tick that box as well, if given a chance.

On paper, these are two formidable sides that could match each other man for man, and this sets up for a potential blockbuster clash.

When: July 16, 19.30 local time, 6.00 IST (July 17)

Where: Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas

What to expect: Surfaces at Dallas have been better for batting in comparison to Morrisville. There has been decent pace and carry on offer with a bit of help for the spinners too. Night games have allowed for fluent strokeplay with a fair balance between bat and ball.

Team news

MI New York: Monank Patel's return to form in the game against TSK could mean a change in the batting order for MI New York. One of Steven Taylor and Ruben Clinton could move to the middle order, allowing the USA captain to bat at his preferred spot. It would also provide a left-right opening pair.

Probable XI: Monank Patel, Steven Taylor, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ruben Clinton, Kieron Pollard (c), Tim David, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Ehsan Adil, Trent Boult, Nosthush Kenjige

Washington Freedom: Freedom have no concerns with their team combinations for now. That they have the likes of Akeal Hosain and Andrew Tye on the bench speaks volumes about the team's form.

Probable XI: Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Rachin Ravindra, Andries Gous (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Marco Jansen, Ian Holland, Lockie Ferguson, Saurabh Netravalk

Squads:

Washington Freedom Squad: Travis Head, Steven Smith(c), Rachin Ravindra, Andries Gous(w), Glenn Maxwell, Mukhtar Ahmed, Obus Pienaar, Marco Jansen, Ian Holland, Lockie Ferguson, Saurabh Netravalkar, Amila Aponso, Akeal Hosein, Justin Dill, Andrew Tye, Lahiru Milantha, Jack Edwards, Yasir Mohammad, Bodugum Akhilesh Reddy

MI New York Squad: Ruben Clinton, Steven Taylor, Nicholas Pooran(w), Monank Patel, Kieron Pollard(c), Tim David, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Nosthush Kenjige, Ehsan Adil, Anrich Nortje, Romario Shepherd, Shayan Jahangir, Heath Richards, Dewald Brevis, Sunny Patel, Rushil Ugarkar