London: The Hundred’s sixth season ended in Lord’s glory on August 16, with first-time champions crowned in both competitions — the Manchester Super Giants in the men’s event and Trent Rockets in the women’s.
The men’s final went down to the wire. Trent Rockets posted 158 for 8, built around Aneurin Donald’s brisk 38 off 19 balls, with Noor Ahmad taking three wickets for Manchester. In reply, Tim Seifert’s 72 off 38 balls kept the Super Giants on track before late wickets set up a tense finish — three needed off the final three balls, sealed by Liam Dawson’s six. The five-wicket win delivered the franchise’s maiden title.
Seifert and Marsh dominate
Seifert was named both Player of the Match in the final and Player of the Tournament. Mitch Marsh finished as the men’s leading run-scorer with 416 runs at a strike rate of 169.79 for Sunrisers Leeds, while Jos Buttler’s 334 runs powered Manchester’s campaign. Josh Tongue and Richard Gleeson shared the bowling honours with 14 wickets apiece.
Rockets rout in women’s final
The women’s final was one-sided. Trent Rockets bowled Sunrisers Leeds out for just 91, with Georgia Adams taking 2 for 9 and earning Player of the Match. Sophia Dunkley’s 41 off 23 balls and Beth Mooney’s unbeaten 31 hurried Trent to an eight-wicket win with 46 balls to spare.
Annabel Sutherland was the women’s Player of the Tournament after topping the run charts with 315 runs, while Samantha Bates, Deepti Sharma and Tilly Corteen-Coleman each took 13 wickets.
Season in numbers
The batting charts told the story of an aggressive season. Marsh and Sunrisers Leeds opening partner Ryan Rickelton combined for 761 runs and 52 sixes, while Buttler’s 334 runs came at a strike rate of 173.05. In the women’s competition, Sutherland’s 315 runs led the way ahead of Phoebe Litchfield (303) and Sophia Dunkley (301), with Smriti Mandhana’s unbeaten 88 the highest individual score.
With the ball, Tongue’s 14 wickets edged out Gleeson in the men’s event, while the women’s three-way tie at 13 wickets apiece — Bates, Deepti Sharma and Corteen-Coleman — underlined the depth of bowling talent.
The rebrand beds in
Off the field, 2026 was the first season of The Hundred’s privatised era, with IPL-linked investment reshaping identities: MI London, Sunrisers Leeds and the Manchester Super Giants among the new names. Crowds responded, and the on-field product — 68 matches in 27 days — gave the new owners plenty to be pleased about.
Two new champions, two Lord’s finals, one clear message: the competition’s sixth season was its most compelling yet.
A new era
The 2026 season marked The Hundred’s privatised rebrand, with IPL-linked owners taking stakes — MI London, Sunrisers Leeds and the Manchester Super Giants among the new identities. On the field, the cricket delivered: 68 matches across 27 days, two new champions, and a glimpse of the competition’s future.
