Southern Brave continued their dominant start to The Hundred women's competition, securing a five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Leeds at Headingley. Indian international Jemimah Rodrigues was the star performer, guiding her team to victory with an unbeaten 42 runs, ensuring Southern Brave maintained their perfect record in the tournament.
Chasing a target of 117, Southern Brave faced an early challenge, losing key batters Lizelle Lee, Maia Bouchier, and Laura Wolvaardt cheaply, leaving them at 36-3 after 40 balls. However, Rodrigues, who played a pivotal role in India's ODI World Cup triumph last year, stabilised the innings alongside captain Sophie Molineux (21). Rodrigues then accelerated in the crucial final overs, hitting the winning runs with four balls to spare.
Earlier in the match, Sunrisers Leeds posted 116 all out, largely thanks to Bryony Smith's 48 runs from 34 balls. Despite a promising start that saw them at 78-2, Sunrisers experienced a dramatic collapse, losing eight wickets for just 38 runs. Southern Brave's bowling attack was led by Issy Wong, who claimed impressive figures of 3-15, supported by Tilly Corteen-Coleman's 2-25, effectively restricting the Sunrisers' total.
In another women's fixture, Welsh Fire bounced back from their opening defeat to secure a commanding 60-run victory against MI London in Cardiff. Welsh Fire posted the highest total of the tournament so far this year, reaching 177-4. Captain Sophie Devine top-scored with 52 from 29 balls, including four sixes, and was well-supported by Georgia Wareham, who finished unbeaten on 43 from 20 balls. MI London, despite a strong batting line-up, crumbled to 117 all out, marking their second consecutive loss. Grace Potts was instrumental for Welsh Fire, taking 3-24 during the powerplay.
Looking ahead, MI London will be hoping to secure their first win when they face the unbeaten Southern Brave on Monday. Welsh Fire, buoyed by their impressive performance, will take on Trent Rockets on Wednesday. The tournament continues to deliver exciting cricket, with four more games scheduled for Sunday, including Manchester Super Giants against Birmingham Phoenix and Trent Rockets facing London Spirit in both the women's and men's competitions.