Sunrisers Leeds Women began their Women’s Hundred 2026 campaign with the opening-day triumph, defeating MI London by seven wickets with 31 balls remaining at Kennington Oval.
The tournament opener on July 21 featured two rebranded franchises. MI London, formerly Oval Invincibles, were led by Hollie Armitage, while defending champions Sunrisers Leeds, previously known as Northern Superchargers, were captained by Danielle Gibson.
Phoebe Litchfield, the competition’s leading run-scorer in 2025, continued her excellent Hundred form with a fluent 43 to guide Sunrisers through a modest chase of 108.
MI London Lose Momentum After Bright Start
Asked to bat first, MI London began strongly through Hayley Matthews and Danni Wyatt-Hodge. The opening pair added 56 runs from 37 balls, putting the hosts in a promising position. Matthews struck 33 from 22 deliveries before Deepti Sharma produced an outstanding return catch to break the partnership. That dismissal completely changed the direction of the innings.
Melie Kerr was caught by Kate Cross at mid-off to give Hannah Baker her first wicket, before Sharma removed Wyatt-Hodge for 29 from 20 balls. Cross completed a brilliant diving catch but later suffered a shoulder injury.
MI London slipped from 77/3 after 58 balls to 107/8 from their full 100 deliveries, with none of the remaining batters reaching double figures.
Sunrisers maintained the pressure through disciplined bowling and sharp fielding. Annabel Sutherland conceded only 14 runs from her 20 balls, while Gibson finished with 2/17 and Baker claimed 2/16. Sharma also collected two wickets for 20 runs.
Litchfield Takes Control of Chase
Sunrisers experienced a brief setback at the start of their chase.
Alexa Stonehouse removed Bryony Smith early, while Jess Jonassen was run out following a poor call from Litchfield.
The Australian opener quickly responded to the mistake by taking control of the innings. Her classy 43 ensured the required rate remained comfortably within reach and removed any pressure from the chase.
Kirstie Gordon eventually bowled Litchfield, but by then Sunrisers were firmly in command.
Sutherland completed an excellent all-round performance by finishing unbeaten on 30 from 23 balls, before captain Gibson struck the winning boundary.
Sunrisers reached the target with 31 balls unused to complete a convincing opening victory.
Litchfield Praises Sunrisers’ Bowling Display
Litchfield was named Player of the Match and credited the bowling unit for setting up the result.
“It’s been really nice to get out here as a group,” she said. “The bowlers bowled really well, restricting them. There were some really cool signs.
“The lengths we bowled early challenged them on the front foot. There was a bit of pop in it. We adapted, changed the pace, and our spinners held their line and length bravely.”
She also admitted responsibility for Jonassen’s run-out but said the low target allowed Sunrisers to remain aggressive.
“It was a silly run-out but you know when the target is less than 120, then you’re in the game. We wanted to go out there positively and take the game on and you saw that.”
With a balanced bowling performance and a composed chase, Sunrisers Leeds showed why they remain one of the strongest sides in the competition as they opened their title defence in style.
