Manchester Super Giants snapped a three-match losing streak in style, with Jos Buttler becoming T20 cricket’s all-time leading run-scorer during a nine-wicket demolition of Welsh Fire, and now travel to Southampton to face a Southern Brave side that lost the previous fixture at home.
This preview covers both squads, conditions at the Utilita Bowl, and our prediction for Match 26 of The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026.
Southern Brave vs Manchester Super Giants Match 26 – Details
Manchester Super Giants ended a difficult run with a dominant nine-wicket win over Welsh Fire, while Southern Brave slipped to a six-wicket defeat against the same opponent in their last outing.
| Match | 26th Match, Southern Brave vs Manchester Super Giants |
| Tournament | The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026 (6th edition) |
| Date | Saturday, 8 August 2026 |
| Venue | The Rose Bowl, Southampton |
| Start Time | 6:00 PM local / BST, 10:30 PM IST |
Winning Odds for SB vs MSG Match 26
| Platform | SB Win Odds | MSG Win Odds |
| 1xBet | 2.89 | 1.78 |
| 4rabet | 2.91 | 1.80 |
| BetVibe | 2.81 | 1.71 |
| Stake | 2.78 | 1.69 |
Southern Brave & Manchester Super Giants Squads for The Hundred 2026
Chris Jordan’s Southern Brave still have serious firepower in Jofra Archer, Jamie Smith and Marcus Stoinis, but have lost their last two matches.
Manchester Super Giants, with Jos Buttler standing in as captain after Aiden Markram’s departure for personal reasons, produced their best performance of the season against Welsh Fire, with Tim Seifert and Buttler both making unbeaten half-centuries.
Southern Brave
Chris Jordan (c), Jofra Archer, Jamie Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Tristan Stubbs, Adil Rashid, David Miller, Luke Wood, Ben McKinney, Thomas Rew, Michael Pepper, Tom Abell, Dan Worrall, Caleb Falconer, Nikhil Chaudhary.
Manchester Super Giants
Aiden Markram (c), Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Leus du Plooy, Tom Hartley, Max Holden, Heinrich Klaasen, Tom Moores, Tawanda Muyeye, Noor Ahmad, George Scrimshaw, Tim Seifert, Josh Tongue, Paul Walter. Markram missed the win over Welsh Fire for personal reasons, with Buttler deputising as captain.
Southern Brave vs Manchester Super Giants Match 26 – Pitch & Weather Report
The Rose Bowl has generally rewarded sides batting first through Hundred history, a contrast to some of the tournament’s other venues.
Pitch Report
| Category | Details |
| Pitch Behaviour | A decent, balanced surface for batting, with the average score across T20 cricket at this venue sitting around 160. |
| Batting Conditions | Teams batting first have won 84 of 145 completed T20 matches at this venue historically (58%), making it one of the stronger venues for setting a total. |
| Bowling Assistance | Seamers can find some early movement under lights, though the pitch generally settles into a fair contest between bat and ball. |
| Toss Factor | This is an evening match, and the historical trend favours batting first at this venue, though dew could be a factor late on. |
Weather Report
| Category | Details |
| Temperature | A high of around 25°C (78°F), dropping to roughly 11°C (52°F) later in the evening. |
| Weather | Largely clear conditions are forecast for Saturday in Southampton. |
| Precipitation | A 10% chance of rain — a low risk of interruption. |
| Conditions | Mild and dry, good conditions for an evening of high-scoring cricket. |
Southern Brave vs Manchester Super Giants – Head-to-Head in The Hundred History
Southern Brave have enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture since the inaugural edition of The Hundred. The two teams (formerly Southern Brave and Manchester Originals) have faced each other five times, with Southern Brave winning three matches and Manchester Super Giants claiming two victories.
Manchester Super Giants won the most recent meeting in the 2025 season, but Southern Brave still lead the overall rivalry.
| Matches | Southern Brave Won | Manchester Super Giants Won | No Result |
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Manchester Super Giants (then Manchester Originals) edged Southern Brave by one wicket in their 2025 encounter, but Southern Brave had won three of the previous four meetings, including victories in the 2021 Eliminator and the 2022 league stage. With the rivalry finely poised, both teams head into this contest looking to strengthen their head-to-head record.
Players to Watch for Southern Brave vs Manchester Super Giants Match 26
| Player | Team | Why to Watch |
| Chris Jordan | Southern Brave | The captain’s death bowling has been central to Brave’s identity for five seasons and remains a key weapon. |
| Jofra Archer | Southern Brave | One of the most dangerous fast bowlers in the competition, capable of turning a game in a single spell. |
| Marcus Stoinis | Southern Brave | The Australian all-rounder gives Brave balance and has been a key contributor with both bat and ball. |
| Jos Buttler | Manchester Super Giants | Fresh off becoming T20 cricket’s all-time leading run-scorer, the stand-in captain is in career-best form. |
| Tim Seifert | Manchester Super Giants | His unbeaten 62 alongside Buttler was central to Super Giants’ dominant win over Welsh Fire. |
| Heinrich Klaasen | Manchester Super Giants | A genuine finisher who gives Super Giants firepower deep into the innings. |
Winner Prediction
Manchester Super Giants arrive with real momentum after their most complete performance of the season, and Jos Buttler is playing with the freedom of a man who has just rewritten the record books.
Southern Brave still have the quality to trouble anyone through Archer, Stoinis and Smith, but back-to-back defeats have raised questions about their consistency. Manchester Super Giants start as clear favourites to make it two wins in a row.
