We witnessed an enthralling battle between all 8 participating teams during the league stages of the 6th edition of the Women’s Hundred. The Ashleigh Gardner-led Trent Rockets, Danielle Gibson-led Sunrisers Leeds, and the Sophie Molineux-led Southern Brave emerged a level above the rest with consistent performances throughout the league stages to secure a spot in the knockout stages.
The Sunrisers Leeds, led by skipper Danielle Gibson, were up against Southern Brave, led by skipper Sophie Molineux, in the Eliminator at the Kennington Oval, London on 14th August 2026. Skipper Sophie Molineux returned to lead her side after missing the previous clash against the Trent Rockets.
The Sunrisers Leeds, led by skipper Danielle Gibson, won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Southern Brave openers Maia Bouchier and wicket-keeper batter Lizelle Lee got their side off to a scratchy start with a 41-run opening stand. Hannah Baker broke the stand by sending Lizelle Lee (32 off 25 balls) back to the pavilion in the 7th set of the innings to provide the much-needed first breakthrough for Southern Brave.
The Sunrisers capitalised on the opening and reduced the Brave to 56/3 in the 11th set of the innings to bring them firmly back into the contest. Charlie Knott joined skipper Sophie Molineux at the crease, and the duo stitched a much-needed 33-run stand for the 4th wicket, which took them closer to the 100-run mark. Hannah Baker returned and cleaned up Charli Knott (25 off 21 balls) to provide the crucial 4th breakthrough for her side towards the business end of the innings.
None of the following batters managed to infuse the momentum into the innings; as a result, the final flourish went missing for the Southern Brave as they just managed a total of 114/7 in their quota of 100 deliveries. Skipper Sophie Molineux (22* off 24 balls) played her part with the bat for her side. Hannah Baker (20-11-13-2), Annabel Sutherland (20-5-31-2), Deepti Sharma (15-4-24-1) and Kate Cross (10-6-12-1) were impressive with the ball for the Sunrisers Leeds.
Chasing a tricky total of 115, the Sunrisers Leeds got off to a similar start as they lost both their openers, including the in-form Phoebe Litchfield (4 off 4 balls) inside the powerplay. Annabel Sutherland joined the wicket-keeper Lauren Winfield-Hill at the crease and the duo settled the nerves with a much-needed 41-run stand for the 2nd wicket.
Sarah Glenn broke the stand by sending Annabel Sutherland (17 off 12 balls) back to the pavilion in the 10th set of the run chase to provide the crucial 2nd breakthrough for the Southern Brave. Deepti Sharma joined Lauren Winfield-Hill at the crease and the pair learnt from observing the Brave’s batting unit and stitched another crucial 41-run stand for the 3rd wicket, ensuring there is no collapse. The partnership took them closer to the 100-run mark.
Issy Wong broke the stand by dismissing Lauren Winfield-Hill (37 off 37 balls) in the 16th set of the run chase to add spice into the contest. However, Jess Jonassen (10* off 5 balls) and Deepti Sharma (28* off 22 balls) ensured that there were no further hiccups in the run chase. The pair guided the Sunrisers Leeds over the line with an unbeaten 21-run stand for the 6th wicket, as they sealed the game with 5 wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare.
Issy Wong (20-8-21-3), Lauren Bell (19-12-14-1) and Sarah Glenn (15-3-25-1) were impressive with the ball for the Southern Brave. Hannah Baker was awarded the Player of the Match for her impressive performance with the ball for her side. The Danielle Gibson-led Sunrisers Leeds side secured their 3rd appearance in the Women’s Hundred title clash, where they will face Ashleigh Gardner’s Trent Rockets on 16th August at iconic Lord’s.
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