The 2026 edition of The Women’s Hundred kicked off with a statement performance at The Oval in London on July 21. Sunrisers Leeds (SRL) cruised to a dominant 7-wicket victory over MI London (MIL) in the tournament opener, chasing down a target of 108 runs with 31 balls to spare. A brilliant all-round effort from SRL’s star-studded lineup ensured they controlled the tempo from the dynamic first innings right through to a comfortable chase.
Deepti Sharma completes a superb caught-and-bowled to get rid of Hayley Matthews
The moment that shifted the momentum firmly in favour of Sunrisers Leeds came on the 37th ball of MI London’s innings. MIL openers Hayley Matthews and Danni Wyatt-Hodge had given their side a blistering start, racing past the 50-run mark in just 34 balls during the mandatory Powerplay. Matthews, looking in pristine touch on 33 off 22 balls (4 fours, 1 six), attempted to punish a tight, shortish length delivery on middle stump from Indian off-spinner Deepti Sharma.
Cramped for room, Matthews attempted to muscle the ball back downtown. However, Deepti showed quick reflexes, diving sharply to her right off her own bowling to pluck a screamer out of thin air. The caught-and-bowled dismissed the dangerous West Indian all-rounder and broke the crucial 56-run opening stand. Deepti ended her spell with impressive figures of 2 for 20 off her 15 balls, also removing Wyatt-Hodge (29 off 20) shortly after to put the brakes on MIL’s middle order.
Here’s the video:
The first wicket of #TheHundred 2026! 🔥
Deepti Sharma strikes with a brilliant caught and bowled to dismiss Hayley Matthews 💥 pic.twitter.com/hZsDb8V1Ic
— The Hundred (@thehundred) July 21, 2026
SRL outclass MIL in The Women’s Hundred 2026 opener
Following Deepti’s breakthrough, the Sunrisers Leeds bowling attack squeezed the scoring rate relentlessly. Hannah Baker (1/16) and Dani Gibson (2/17) bowled economical spells to keep the pressure on, causing MIL to collapse from 56/0 to 107/8 in their allotted 100 balls. Melie Kerr was the only other batter to reach double digits with a patient 13 off 15 balls, while MIL lost six wickets for just 35 runs in the latter half of the innings.
Chasing 108 for victory, SRL faced early hiccups after losing opener Bryony Smith (4) to Alexa Stonehouse and Jess Jonassen (14) via a run-out, leaving them 24/2. However, Australian star Phoebe Litchfield quickly put any doubts to rest. Playing with supreme confidence, Litchfield slammed 43 off just 26 balls, striking eight boundaries and a towering six to earn the Player of the Match award.
Litchfield anchored a match-winning 57-run partnership for the third wicket alongside Annabel Sutherland. Sutherland remained unbeaten on 30 off 23 balls, combining with captain Dani Gibson (12* off 7) to seal the win in style. SRL reached 109/3 in just 69 balls, securing a comprehensive victory and collecting maximum points to launch their campaign.
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
