Manchester Super Giants Women produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat Southern Brave Women by 27 runs in the 26th match of The Hundred Women’s Competition 2026 in Southampton. After being asked to put runs on the board, the Super Giants built their innings steadily before a powerful middle-order finish took them to 139/4 from 100 balls. Southern Brave, despite a promising start and a strong contribution from Laura Wolvaardt, could only manage 112/6, handing Manchester Super Giants Women a 27-run victory.
Manchester Super Giants Women began their innings with Smriti Mandhana and Grace Scrivens, and the opening pair negotiated the mandatory Powerplay effectively. The first 25 balls brought up 30 runs without a wicket, as Mandhana looked particularly fluent while Scrivens provided support at the other end. The partnership eventually added 37 runs, before Scrivens was dismissed for 13 off 17 balls. Mandhana continued to anchor the innings, while Richa Ghosh joined her and immediately increased the scoring tempo. The Super Giants reached 50 runs from 44 balls, with extras contributing three runs, and the pressure began to shift towards Southern Brave.
The second-wicket partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh became the foundation of the Manchester Super Giants Women innings. The pair added an impressive 83 runs, taking the score from 37 to 120. Mandhana mixed controlled strokeplay with calculated aggression, eventually scoring 46 from 36 balls, including three fours and two sixes, at a strike rate of 127.77. Ghosh, meanwhile, was the aggressor of the partnership and produced one of the innings’ defining knocks. She smashed 54 from 34 balls, striking five fours and three sixes at a superb strike rate of 158.82. The partnership survived the strategic timeout, which came with the Super Giants at 83/1 after 60 balls, before Mandhana was eventually dismissed at 120 after 86 balls.
More importantly, the wicket ended a hugely valuable partnership and left Ghosh with the responsibility of finishing the innings. The final phase saw Manchester Super Giants Women continue to attack despite losing wickets. Ghosh fell shortly afterwards at 122, bringing her outstanding 54 off 34 balls to an end. Meg Lanning then joined the action and contributed a brisk 10 off six balls, while Kathryn Bryce added four from five. Bryce was dismissed at 127 after 94 balls, leaving Maitlan Brown unbeaten on 3 from two deliveries. The Super Giants finished strongly, reaching 139/4 from their allotted 100 balls, with six runs coming from extras in total.
For Southern Brave, the bowling effort was led by Issy Wong took 2/24. Sophie Molineux also picked up a wicket, conceding 21 runs from her 20 balls. Tilly Cotter-Coleman returned 1/28, while Sarah Glenn conceded 30 runs without a wicket and Lauren Bell finished with 0/34 from 20 balls. The figures showed how effectively Ghosh and Mandhana had managed to keep the scoring rate high despite Brave’s attempts to contain them.
Southern Brave Women began their chase with Lizelle Lee and Maia Bouchier, looking to make an early impression against a strong Manchester Super Giants bowling attack. Lee scored 19 from 17 balls, including two fours and a six, while Bouchier struck three boundaries in her 16 off 10 balls. Their opening partnership produced 36 runs, giving Southern Brave a solid platform before Bouchier was run out at the same score after 30 balls. Lee’s dismissal followed at 36 after 27 balls, caught by Villiers off the bowling of Kathryn Bryce, leaving the home side suddenly under pressure. With two wickets down without any addition to the total, the chase needed a stabilising partnership.
That responsibility fell to Laura Wolvaardt and Sophie Molineux, who rebuilt the innings with a valuable 51-run third-wicket partnership. Wolvaardt was the standout batter for Southern Brave, combining timing and placement to score 36 from 28 balls, with four fours and one six. Molineux, however, found it more difficult to maintain the same scoring rate and finished with 16 from 21 balls. Their partnership took Brave to 87, but Molineux was dismissed at 87 after 73 balls. Wolvaardt then fell at 94 after 81 balls, caught by Bryce off Villiers, ending Brave’s best individual innings and leaving the chase in trouble.
The wickets kept coming in the closing stages. Charli Knott could contribute only 3 from six balls before being caught by Ballinger off the bowling of Mady Villiers, with the score moving to 95. Issy Wong then made just 2 from three balls, falling at 99, caught by Ballinger off Ryana MacDonald-Gay. With six wickets down, Southern Brave required a late surge from Jodi Grewcock and Naomi Dattani, who remained unbeaten. Grewcock scored 8 from eight balls, while Dattani added a useful 8 from seven, but the required rate had already climbed beyond their reach. Southern Brave eventually closed their 100 balls on 112/6, 27 runs short of the target.
The Manchester Super Giants Women bowling attack deserves considerable credit for maintaining control throughout the chase. Mady Villiers was the star performer with 3 wickets for 17 runs, repeatedly breaking Brave’s momentum at crucial moments. Ryana MacDonald-Gay claimed 1/17 and Bex Tyson bowled 20 balls and conceded 26 runs, while Kathryn Bryce returned 1/18 and helped create pressure during the middle overs. Sophie Ecclestone, although wicketless, was economical with 21 runs from 20 balls, ensuring Southern Brave could not find easy runs.
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