MI London entered the final men’s group fixture with their aspirations of securing a fourth consecutive Hundred championship hanging by a thread, even though they managed to edge out the league's bottom‑placed side, Birmingham Phoenix, in a nail‑biting encounter. The match unfolded at Edgbaston under a dramatic solar eclipse, adding a surreal backdrop to a game that carried huge implications for the league table. Going into the contest, MI London knew they had to achieve a margin of at least 59 runs to overtake SunRisers Leeds for third place and clinch a spot in the home‑ground play‑off.
Phoenix won the toss and elected to field, giving the visitors a chance to set a target. MI London posted 157 for 6, a score that would have been sufficient if their bowlers could restrict Phoenix to 98 or fewer.
Early in the innings, the London side made a strong statement, taking three wickets in the powerplay. Sikandar Raza, who was already the tournament’s leading wicket‑taker with 14 victims, struck twice in quick succession – clean‑bowling Joe Clarke and then dismissing Mitchell Owen and Laurie Evans with back‑to‑back deliveries, the latter two falling to Richard Gleeson.
Phoenix, however, steadied their chase through a resilient partnership between Jake Weatherley and Sean Dickson. Their collaboration pushed the total past the crucial 98‑run threshold, and a wayward delivery from Tom Curran added a single run, taking the Phoenix score to 99 and snatching the win from MI London’s grasp. The final overs saw a flurry of wickets: Dickson (23 off 17 balls) fell lbw to Sam Curran, who then trapped Weatherley (42 off 31) in the deep. Though Jordan Thompson (23 not out off 13) and Rehan Ahmed (23 off 11) provided a brief resurgence, Trent Boult kept his composure, delivering precise yorkers that sealed a narrow two‑run defeat for MI London.
Earlier in the innings, MI London’s top order showed promise. Will Jacks got off to a solid start before being caught by Chris Wood after a mistimed slice to deep point.
James Vince looked in good touch, and Nicholas Pooran announced his presence by hammering Tom Helm for 10 runs in just two balls. Helm, however, retaliated with a back‑of‑the‑hand slower ball that dismissed Vince (22 off 12).
Rehan Ahmed then applied the brakes, outfoxing Sam Curran with a deceptive googly and conceding only three runs from his first ten deliveries, including a string of six consecutive dot balls. The lower order contributed useful cameo innings: Raza added 17 runs off 13 balls, debutant Ollie Sykes made 23 not out off 14, and Tom Curran chipped in with 17 not out off nine.
Despite these contributions, MI London’s total never seemed large enough to pull off the miracle they required. The defeat meant the reigning champions were eliminated, leaving SunRisers Leeds to face Manchester Super Giants at The Kia Oval, with a place in the Lord’s final against Trent Rockets now at stake. Reflecting on the outcome, Richard Gleeson said, "Winning five games and still missing out when two other sides have the same record is disappointing, but it underlines the depth of this competition.
You have to be at your best in every phase – a 30, 40 or 50‑run swing can make all the difference." The women's side of the tournament saw similar drama. Welsh Fire and London Spirit’s men’s squads mirrored the predicament of their female counterparts, both falling short of qualifying for the eliminator at The Oval and the Sunday final at Lord’s. Fire’s chances of progressing were mathematically alive but would have required a record‑breaking victory margin, given their pattern of narrow wins and heavy defeats. Nevertheless, the Spirit displayed fighting spirit in front of an enthusiastic Cardiff crowd, defending a modest 131 to secure their third win of the campaign.
After winning the toss, Fire chose to bowl, and Chris Woakes immediately shone, containing the powerful opening pair of Jonny Bairstow and Lhuandre Pretorius. This early pressure allowed Lockie Ferguson to pick up the South African after a dropped catch. The powerplay ended at 34‑1, with Bairstow on 22 off 11 balls, and by the 25‑ball mark the score was 59‑3, as Woakes dismissed Bairstow for 34 off 19 and Marco Jansen bowled ten consecutive dot balls in his first 15 deliveries.
London Spirit’s leading run‑scorers, Liam Livingstone and Dewald Brevis, both fell cheaply, and James Coles, who had been finding form, managed only 29 before a towering Jansen took a spectacular catch at long‑off off Tom Kohler‑Cadmore. Jamie Overton’s long‑handle delivery could not prevent a 131‑8 total that felt light, especially as both Woakes and Jansen kept the run rate under one per ball.
When Fire batted, they lost Matt Short immediately, but Phil Salt and Joe Root steadied the innings, suggesting that a modest target could be chased without too much trouble. At 90‑2 after 69 balls, with Jordan Cox flexing his muscles, the outlook seemed positive, but the momentum shifted as Root (31 off 31) and Cox (44 off 28) fell. In the final eight balls, Kohler‑Cadmore, Ravindra and Jansen were dismissed, leaving Fire just one run away before they finally succumbed, losing by six runs.
The Hundred will continue to the finals on Sunday, August 16, with the remaining matches streaming contract‑free on NOW, offering fans the chance to watch the climax of a fiercely contested season.