Mitchell Marsh and Dan Lawrence delivered powerful half‑centuries as SunRisers Leeds edged past Southern Brave in a tightly contested match at Headingley, securing the franchise's first win of the season. Marsh opened the innings with a flamboyant display, hammering six sixes and four fours to compile 69 runs from just 34 deliveries.
His aggressive start set the tone, but it was Lawrence who anchored the chase, remaining unbeaten on 51 off only 25 balls and propelling the hosts to a competitive total of 187 for 5. The SunRisers lost their captain, Zak Crawley, for a golden duck when England spinner Adil Rashid claimed his third wicket of the afternoon, having already dismissed Marsh and fellow opener Ryan Rickelton, who made 37. Rashid’s early breakthroughs kept the pressure on Leeds, but a quick cameo from Harry Brook, who was bowled for three by Marcus Stoinis, and a rapid 21 from Tom Alsop helped the team finish strongly.
Southern Brave’s reply was anchored by Ben McKinney, who struck 44 runs from just 23 balls, while opener Jamie Smith contributed a swift 30 from 18 deliveries. Australian all‑rounder Marcus Stoinis added 31 runs from 16 balls, and Tristan Stubbs kept the visitors in the hunt with an unbeaten 43 off 20 balls. Despite the spirited effort, the home side held firm, clinching their inaugural victory of the campaign, while Brave remained winless after two matches.
In the women's fixture, Southern Brave continued their perfect start, registering a second consecutive win by dismissing SunRisers Leeds for five wickets. Jemimah Rodrigues played a pivotal role, remaining not out on 42 from 34 balls, and Australian captain Sophie Molineux added 21 from 17, guiding the visitors to chase down a target of 117 with four balls to spare.
For SunRisers, Bryony Smith’s quickfire 48 off 34 balls – featuring six fours and a six – formed the backbone of their 116‑run total. The headline of the day came from Welsh Fire, as Rachin Ravindra produced a near‑century, scoring 98 from 44 balls – the joint fourth‑highest individual score in the history of the men’s Hundred – to lead the team to a 15‑run triumph over MI London in front of a record‑breaking crowd at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. The Oval‑based franchise, which has dominated the men’s competition for the past three summers, found their bowling attack unable to contain Ravindra’s on‑fire form. He reached his fifty in a blistering 22 balls, dispatching Rashid Khan over the mid‑wicket boundary for the milestone.
Joe Root contributed a steady 29 from 26 balls, but Ravindra kept the momentum, blasting four sixes in an eight‑ball spell and surpassing Jonny Bairstow’s previous record of 86 not out for the highest score by a Fire batter. After Root was stumped off Khan, Jordan Cox offered a lively cameo, yet the focus remained on Ravindra as he approached the coveted century. He was eventually dismissed for 98 on the 98th delivery, caught by Jason Roy off a superb Trent Boult spell (1‑16). MI London’s innings began poorly when Will Jacks fell early to Sam Cook.
However, the visitors recovered to 72‑1 after 46 balls, only for Lockie Ferguson to strike twice in consecutive deliveries, first removing Jason Roy and then delivering a golden‑duck dismissal of Sam Curran. Ferguson continued his on‑fire spell by claiming the wicket of Nicholas Pooran, before Ravindra produced a piece of magic, catching and bowling James Vince (66 from 38) at a crucial juncture. In the final overs, Fire’s bowlers held their nerve: Rutherford finished unbeaten on 24 from 18 balls, while Ferguson completed the death overs by dismissing Tom Curran, sealing Fire’s second win of the campaign. Ravindra, crowned the Meerkat Match Hero, reflected on the achievement, saying, "We know how good the MI London side is and the history and pedigree of their team, and for us to put on a performance on our home ground, the way we played, was fantastic." The women’s Hundred also saw Welsh Fire dominate, with Sophie Devine and Georgia Wareham leading a commanding display that saw them defeat MI London by 60 runs at Sophia Gardens.
After a loss to Southern Brave in their opening match, Fire rebounded by posting 177‑4, the third‑highest total in tournament history. Devine smashed 52 from 29 balls, while Wareham contributed 43 from 20. Openers Georgia Voll and Ella McCaughan added valuable starts of 42 and 27 respectively.
For MI London, Grace Potts claimed three wickets for 24 runs, but the team collapsed to 117 all out, suffering their second consecutive defeat. Looking ahead, Sunday’s double‑header features Manchester Super Giants versus Birmingham Phoenix at Old Trafford, with the women’s game slated for 11:00 am and the men’s match starting at 2:30 pm.
Later, Trent Rockets will take on London Spirit at Trent Bridge, with the women’s contest beginning at 2:30 pm and the men’s fixture at 6:00 pm. Both matches will be streamed live on Sky Sports, and fans can also watch The Hundred and additional content on the NOW platform.