MI New York suffered two massive blows as Afghanistan duo Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai opted out of the upcoming Major League Cricket (MLC), starting June 13. According to a report on ESPNcricinfo, the star leg-spinner has opted out of the tournament to take a break from the sport. Omarzai, who recently featured for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025, has noted the same reason.
Notably, Rashid was New York’s best bowler last season, having picked up 10 wickets at an economy rate of 6.15. However, his form this time around has been concerning, picking up only nine wickets in the recently concluded IPL 2025. This was his first year since his debut in 2017 when Rashid had picked up less than 10 wickets in an IPL season.
Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Waqar Salamkheil join respective teams
After the US government issued a travel ban on Afghans, there were doubts over the participation of Afghanistan cricketers in the MLC. However, the likes of Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad and Waqar Salamkheil have been given their visas and joined MI New York, Texas Super Kings and Seattle Orcas, respectively.
On the other hand, Gulbadin Naib and Fazalhaq Farooqi haven’t received their visas yet. Both these players are slated to play for Seattle Orcas and are currently waiting for the US government to clear their visas. Their participation is under the scanner, and there’s no update on their availability.
MI New York announce Nicholas Pooran as captain
MI New York have announced Nicholas Pooran as their new captain for the 2025 season. The former West Indies international replaced Kieron Pollard at the helm of things. He recently announced his retirement from international cricket at just 29 years of age, which created tremendous buzz. Apart from leading West Indies in the past, Pooran has also led MI Emirates in the ILT20.