Sunrisers Leeds women secure seven-wicket victory over MI London
The Hundred 2026 season commenced with the Sunrisers Leeds Women, previously known as the Northern Superchargers, achieving a decisive seven-wicket win against MI London Women, formerly the Oval Invincibles. The match took place at The Kia Oval in London on Tuesday, marking a strong start for the defending champions.
After a disciplined bowling performance that restricted MI London to 107/8, Sunrisers Leeds comfortably chased the target. They secured the victory with seven wickets in hand and 31 balls to spare, largely due to a match-winning innings from Phoebe Litchfield.
MI London’s early momentum halted
MI London initially appeared to be heading for a higher total, with openers Hayley Matthews and Danni Wyatt-Hodge providing a strong start. The pair propelled their team to 50 without loss in just 34 balls, and MI London was well-positioned at 68/1 after 50 balls.
However, Sunrisers Leeds bowlers mounted a strong comeback. Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma was instrumental in triggering the collapse, finishing with figures of 2/20 and effectively slowing MI London’s scoring rate during the middle overs. Captain Dani Gibson also contributed with two crucial wickets, leading to MI London losing momentum and ultimately finishing their 100 balls with a total of 107/8.
Litchfield anchors the chase
In pursuit of a modest target of 108, Sunrisers Leeds faced some early challenges but maintained control of the chase. Australian batter Phoebe Litchfield played a pivotal role, remaining composed and ensuring the scoreboard continued to tick over. Her fluent knock of 43 runs from 26 deliveries guided the defending champions to an easy finish, securing the seven-wicket win. Litchfield was subsequently named Player of the Match for her unbeaten performance.
Litchfield’s contribution included seven fours and a six, breaking the back of the chase. She was eventually bowled by Scotland spinner Kirstie Gordon with 27 runs still needed. Following her departure, Annabel Sutherland contributed an unbeaten 30 runs, and Gibson added 12 not out to ensure Sunrisers Leeds crossed the finish line with ease.
Prior to this match, Litchfield had also made a significant impact in the T20 World Cup final, where she scored 48 runs in Australia’s victory over England at Lord’s earlier in the month. She was also the leading run-scorer in the women’s competition in 2025.
Men’s competition opener
In the men’s competition, Mitch Marsh, the Australia men’s T20 captain, began his Hundred career with a quickfire 41 runs for Sunrisers Leeds. However, his team was defeated by the reigning champions, MI London, in the first match between the two newly named teams.
Marsh and South African Ryan Rickelton, who scored 25 runs off 16 balls, provided a rapid start for Sunrisers Leeds after they were sent in to bat. Rickelton hit three sixes before being dismissed lbw by Sam Curran. Marsh also cleared the boundary three times in his 27-ball innings. However, Sunrisers Leeds lost momentum after Marsh was caught off Tom Curran’s bowling, as paceman Richard Gleeson took 4/25 through the middle order.
Sunrisers Leeds were bowled out for 143 runs with one ball remaining. Sam Curran, with 60 not out off 39 balls, and Nicholas Pooran, scoring 58 not out off 22 balls, comfortably chased down the total for MI London. They formed an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 93 runs, guiding MI London to victory with 16 balls to spare. Australian quick Nathan Ellis claimed one of the three wickets for MI London, finishing with figures of 1/22 from his 20-ball spell.
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Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
