Punjab Kings held the world record for the highest successful run chase in T20 cricket, but on July 15, 2026 (July 16 in India), a team from the USA shattered that record. Major League Cricket (MLC) is currently underway in the United States.
In the Eliminator match, Washington Freedom—captained by Australian legend Steve Smith—pulled off the highest run chase in men's T20 cricket, creating history. The Washington team comfortably chased down a target of 267 runs.
In IPL 2026, Punjab Kings broke their own record to set a new world record.
Punjab successfully chased a target of 265 runs against Delhi Capitals, while Washington Freedom set a new world record by chasing down a target of 267 runs against MI New York.
Previously, Punjab Kings had chased a target of 262 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024; now, the record for the highest run chase belongs to Washington Freedom.
Smith's team was at 13/2.
When the Steve Smith-led Washington Freedom team stepped out to chase a target of 267 runs, they lost two wickets within the first 13 balls.
The score stood at 18/2 after three overs. At that point, no one would have imagined that such a massive total could be chased down—let alone taken to the 19th over.
Washington added another 43 runs over the next three overs. By the end of the powerplay, the score was 61/2. They still needed 206 runs from 14 overs, yet Smith's team refused to give up.
Steve Smith and Andries Gous launched a fierce attack on the opposition from both ends. The team scored 126 runs in 10 overs, injecting some life into the match, though the momentum slowed down slightly thereafter.
Six runs came in the 11th over and 12 in the 12th, but Gous brought the team back into contention by hitting four sixes in the 13th over, which yielded 29 runs.
In the 14th over, Steve Smith targeted Kieron Pollard and added 21 runs. Gous and Smith then scored 31 runs in the 15th over, firmly establishing their grip on the match.
Match ends in the 19th over
After 15 overs, the score stood at 225/2; only 42 runs were needed for victory from the remaining five overs. Sixteen runs came off the 16th over, effectively putting the match in Washington Freedom's grasp. Andries Gous was dismissed later, but not before he had completed his century.
Gous scored 132 runs off 51 balls, hitting 10 fours and 12 sixes, while Smith remained unbeaten on 110. Nicholas Pooran also scored a century for MI New York in this match, but his innings went in vain.
