Leeds Sunrisers women claim seven-wicket win over MI London

By Rohan Gupta — 21 July 2026 — 3 min read

The Hundred 2026 season commenced with the Sunrisers Leeds Women, previously known as Northern Superchargers, securing a seven-wicket victory against MI London Women, formerly Oval Invincibles. The match took place at The Kia Oval in London on Tuesday, marking a strong start for the defending champions.

Sunrisers Leeds successfully chased down a target of 108 runs with 31 balls remaining. The chase was anchored by Phoebe Litchfield, who was named Player of the Match for her unbeaten 43 runs from 26 balls. Her performance was crucial after the team faced some early challenges in their pursuit of the target.

MI London’s innings and Sunrisers’ bowling effort

MI London initially had a promising start to their innings, with openers Hayley Matthews and Danni Wyatt-Hodge establishing a strong partnership. They reached 50 runs without loss in just 34 balls, and the team was positioned at 68/1 after 50 balls, suggesting a potentially higher total.

However, Sunrisers Leeds bowlers initiated a comeback, effectively restricting MI London. Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma played a key role in this turnaround, taking 2/20 and slowing down MI London’s scoring rate during the middle overs. Captain Dani Gibson also contributed with two crucial wickets, leading to a collapse that saw MI London finish their 100 balls with 107/8.

Dani Gibson and leg-spinner Hannah Baker also claimed two wickets each, further contributing to the disciplined bowling display. The efforts of the bowlers ensured that MI London could not capitalise on their initial momentum, losing their strong position to end with a modest total.

Litchfield’s match-winning performance and men’s match

Phoebe Litchfield’s innings was pivotal in the chase. Despite an early run-out involving compatriot Jess Jonassen, Litchfield maintained her composure, scoring fluently and ensuring the scoreboard continued to move. Her knock included seven fours and a six, effectively breaking the back of the chase for Sunrisers Leeds. She had previously made a significant contribution of 48 runs in Australia’s World Cup final victory against England earlier in the month.

After Litchfield was bowled by Scotland spinner Kirstie Gordon with 27 runs still needed, Annabel Sutherland, who contributed an unbeaten 30, and Dani Gibson, with 12 not out, guided Sunrisers Leeds to the finish line comfortably.

In the men’s competition, Australia men’s T20 captain Mitch Marsh began his Hundred career with a quickfire 41 runs. He combined with South African Ryan Rickelton, who scored 25 off 16 balls, to give Sunrisers a rapid start after being 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 lost momentum after Marsh was caught off Tom Curran’s bowling. Paceman Richard Gleeson then took 4-25, tearing through the middle order and leading to Sunrisers being bowled out for 143 with a ball to spare.

MI London successfully chased down the men’s target, with Sam Curran scoring an unbeaten 60 off 39 balls and Nicholas Pooran contributing 58 not out off 22 balls. They formed an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 93 runs, securing the win for MI London with 16 balls remaining. Australian quick Nathan Ellis claimed one of the three MI London wickets, finishing with figures of 1-22 from his 20-ball spell.

The Sunrisers Leeds Women, who were the reigning champions from the previous year’s tournament, restricted their opponents to 8-107 after electing to bowl first in the opening game of the new season.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Rohan Gupta

Sports Reporter