The Hundred’s sixth season begins at The Oval as three-time defending champions MI London, formerly Oval Invincibles, host a rebranded Sunrisers Leeds in the tournament opener. Both franchises enter under new ownership and new identities, adding fresh intrigue to an old rivalry.
MI London arrive full of pedigree, having won three straight titles as Oval Invincibles from 2023 to 2025, and now play under Sam Curran’s captaincy with Mumbai Indians’ Reliance Industries as co-owners. Sunrisers Leeds, previously Northern Superchargers, reached last season’s Eliminator before falling to Trent Rockets, and head into 2026 under new captain Zak Crawley after Sun Group’s takeover.
This preview covers both squads, conditions at the Oval, and our prediction for the tournament’s opening match.
MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds – Details
This is the first men’s meeting between these two franchises since Reliance Industries and Sun Group completed their respective investments ahead of the 2026 season.
| Match | 1st Match, MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds |
| Tournament | The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026 (6th edition) |
| Date | Tuesday, 21 July 2026 |
| Venue | Kennington Oval (The Oval), London |
| Time (India) | 11:00 PM IST (6:30 PM local) |
Winning Odds for MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds
| Platform | MILÂ Win Odds | SRLÂ Win Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1xBet | 1.75 | 2.15 |
| 4rabet | 1.78 | 2.16 |
| BetVibe | 1.71 | 2.12 |
| Stake | 1.84 | 2.21 |
MI London & Sunrisers Leeds Squads for The Hundred 2026
MI London head into the opener as the tournament’s most successful side, having won five titles in total across the men’s and women’s competitions under their previous Oval Invincibles identity.
Sam Curran leads a squad built around continuity, retaining Will Jacks and Rashid Khan from the title-winning core and adding West Indies power-hitter Nicholas Pooran, fresh off one of the fastest hundreds in Major League Cricket history.
Sunrisers Leeds go in with a settled top order under new captain Zak Crawley, who was the Superchargers’ leading run-scorer last season with 280 runs at an average of 40. England white-ball captain Harry Brook has been freed of leadership duties to focus purely on batting, lining up alongside Australia’s Mitchell Marsh and South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton in a top order built for high scores.
MI London
Sam Curran (c), Will Jacks, Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran (wk), James Vince, Tom Curran, Trent Boult, Nathan Sowter, Sherfane Rutherford, Richard Gleeson, Ollie Pope, Olly Stone, Ollie Sykes, Callum Parkinson, Jason Roy, Eddie Jack, Sebastian Morgan.
Sunrisers Leeds
Zak Crawley (c), Harry Brook, Mitchell Marsh, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Dan Lawrence, Brydon Carse, Nathan Ellis, Abrar Ahmed, Matthew Potts, Benny Howell, Tom Lawes, Tom Alsop, Liam Patterson-White, Reece Topley, Ed Barnard, Matty Revis, Charlie Allison.
MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds – Pitch & Weather Report
The Oval’s reputation as one of the flattest, highest-scoring venues in English white-ball cricket sets up an opener where both top orders will fancy their chances of a big total.
Pitch Report
| Pitch Behaviour | The Oval has long been rated one of England’s best batting surfaces — flat, fast and true — though seamers typically find some early movement with the new ball before things flatten out for stroke play. |
| Batting Conditions | The average men’s first-innings score in Hundred matches at this ground sits at 152, with the venue’s pace and short square boundaries traditionally rewarding attacking batting. |
| Bowling Assistance | New-ball seamers get the most out of the surface inside the first few overs, while spin has limited early purchase on a pitch that tends to stay true for the bulk of the innings. |
| Toss & Dew Factor | Chasing has been the more successful route at the Oval across formats, and with this an evening start, the side bowling first may again look to capitalise on that historical trend. |
Weather Report
Here’s a look at the weather conditions expected for the match.
| Temperature | Around 25°C at the start of play, cooling into the high teens Celsius as the evening progresses — typical for a London summer evening. |
| Weather | Clear to sunny conditions are expected, continuing the settled spell London has seen through the week. |
| Precipitation | Only a 10% chance of rain, so the tournament opener looks set to get a clean, uninterrupted start. |
| Humidity & Wind | Moderate humidity with a light breeze — conditions unlikely to trouble the bowlers with significant swing beyond the new ball. |
MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds – Head-to-Head in Hundred History
Under their previous identities, Northern Superchargers won the last two meetings against Oval Invincibles, giving them the recent edge in this fixture heading into the 2026 season.
Despite those results, MI London enter the contest as the reigning champions after Oval Invincibles completed a remarkable run of three consecutive men’s Hundred titles between 2023 and 2025.
| Matches | MI London Won | Sunrisers Leeds Won | No Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
While Sunrisers Leeds have enjoyed the better recent head-to-head record, MI London’s championship success ensures this remains one of the marquee fixtures in the competition.This reflects the completed meetings between Oval Invincibles (MI London) and Northern Superchargers (Sunrisers Leeds) before the 2026 season.
Players to Watch for MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds
| Sam Curran (MIL) | Leads MI London on his home ground in his first season as captain, having scored 757 runs and taken 45 wickets across 32 innings for the franchise. |
| Nicholas Pooran (MIL) | Arrives on the back of one of the fastest hundreds in Major League Cricket history, a 31-ball century, and gives MI London serious middle-order firepower. |
| Jason Roy (MIL) | Returns to the franchise in career-best touch, signing off his T20 Blast campaign with scores of 103*, 50* and 76 in his last four innings. |
| Zak Crawley (SRL) | Leads Sunrisers Leeds after finishing as the Superchargers’ top run-scorer last season, striking at 160 across 280 runs. |
| Harry Brook (SRL) | Freed from captaincy duties to focus purely on batting, and has scored 902 runs at an average of 37.58 for this franchise across 35 matches. |
| Ryan Rickelton (SRL) | The South African wicketkeeper-opener headlines Sunrisers Leeds’ overseas top order alongside Mitchell Marsh. |
Winner Prediction
MI London carry the pedigree of three straight titles and home conditions at the Oval, with Sam Curran, Nicholas Pooran and a rejuvenated Jason Roy giving them a genuine top-order threat on a ground built for big scores.
Sunrisers Leeds, though, arrive with the recent head-to-head edge over this opposition and a top order, Crawley, Marsh, Brook and Rickelton, as strong as any in the competition.Â
With both sides fielding largely new-look squads under new ownership, Sunrisers Leeds start narrow favourites on recent form, though MI London’s experience of winning at this venue makes this a genuinely close call.
