- July 15, 2025
If you tuned into the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 final, you are likely still buzzing from that last over. Enter Rushil Ugarkar, a 22-year-old, to bowl to Glenn Maxwell and Glenn Phillips, both absolute beasts with the bat. What unfolded next is now part of T20 legend. Ugarkar remained the ultimate calm with the pressure squarely on his shoulders. He executed the dream finish to secure the five-run victory and earn Player of the Match status! But who is this 22-year-old who defined the moment in one of MLC’s biggest games? Let’s explore five intriguing things about Rushil Ugarkar you probably did not know.
MI New York Took a Leap of Faith When No One Else Did
You would not think so upon first glance, but Rushil went wicketless for the entirety of the 2024 MLC season. Yep, zero wickets. A lot of franchises would hide that away, but MI New York is not just any franchise. If the MI franchise has a reputation to fulfil, whether in IPL or MLC, it believes in the intangible, unrewarded potential of players. This wanton faith was repaid in 2025 when Rushil basked in the role of giant killer across the knockout stages. In the final alone, Rushil took not only Glenn Maxwell’s wicket but Rachin Ravindra’s wicket as well. What a storyline.
The Playoff Specialist: Rushil’s Moment of Arrival
Rushil not only dazzled in the final, but he also dominated the entire knockout stage. In three playoff matches, he took seven wickets — each wicket was very critical. In The Eliminator, he destroyed the San Francisco Unicorns’ middle order with 3/19. Then, in Qualifier 2, he sent Marcus Stoinis and Saiteja Mukkamalla to the sidelines. And lastly, with the trophy on the line, he performed yet again. Defending 12 runs against Maxwell and Phillips is not just clutch — it is ice in the veins.
His MI Journey Started Way Before He Played a Game
Before he was a final-over specialist, MI scouts had earmarked him. In April 2024, Rushil hadn’t played MLC at all yet, and he was brought out to MI Mumbai in the middle of the IPL. He trained with MI, with some of the best players, and he also absorbed the team culture and went along with the team. Most rookie players would die for a net session with Rohit Sharma or Jasprit Bumrah, and Rushil was just there. It wasn’t just a crash course in playing cricket – it was a mental tune-up for when the pressure applied and mattered, like the MLC final, for example.
His Cricketing Foundation Was Laid in India, Not the USA
Born in the U.S., but cricket-schooled in Bengaluru — Rushil’s first real brush with the professional game began at the National Cricket Academy, far from his Missouri roots. Of course, he learned the fundamentals of the game in India before ultimately returning to the U.S., playing Minor League Cricket in 2021, and here we are three years later with Rushil leading MI New York to seal their second MLC Championship. It has been a journey of combining Indian discipline with American grit.
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