The Hundred 2026 | MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds | The Kia Oval, London | 21 July 2026

Sam Curran’s title-defending side and Zak Crawley’s newly rebranded outfit both head into Tuesday’s season opener with settled top orders and contested places lower down. Will Jacks, Jason Roy and Ollie Pope look set to open the batting for the home side, while Ryan Rickelton partners Crawley for the visitors. Nicholas Pooran’s arrival pushes James Vince down the order, and Abrar Ahmed’s leg-spin gives the away attack its cutting edge. Expect late calls on the death-bowling slots for both sides before the toss at the Oval. 

Sam Curran Leads the Title Favourites 

Surrey’s own franchise won three straight titles through 2025 and enters this new ownership era unchanged. Formerly Oval Invincibles, the side is now 51 percent owned by Surrey County Cricket Club and 49 percent by Reliance, the group behind Mumbai Indians. Sam Curran was retained and handed the captaincy after leading the side to that third straight title in 2025. 

Will Jacks led the run charts last season with 312 runs at a strike rate of 156, while Curran added 263 runs and 12 wickets. Tom Curran arrives for 260,000 pounds, a franchise record signing, and Nicholas Pooran joins as a direct signing to steady the middle order. Rashid Khan remains the team’s frontline spinner under head coach Kieron Pollard. 

Zak Crawley Captains a New Era 

Formerly Northern Superchargers, this franchise changed hands when the Sun Group, behind Sunrisers Hyderabad, completed a 100 million pound takeover. Zak Crawley was named captain on June 13, 2026, ahead of Harry Brook, who asked to play without the captaincy burden. Brook remains the headline name anyway as the competition’s highest-paid player at 465,000 pounds. 

Under their old identity, this group reached last year’s eliminator before a rain-affected exit against Trent Rockets. Crawley led the run charts that campaign with 280 runs at a strike rate of 160, while Brook added 227 runs at 162.14. Mitchell Marsh and Nathan Ellis arrive as Australian signings, and Abrar Ahmed’s leg-spin gives Vettori’s attack a middle-overs threat. 

MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds Hundred 2026 

Neither camp has confirmed a final XI, but squad depth points toward two settled-looking line-ups. The home side leans on power at the top, the away side on balance through the middle. 

MI London:

Sunrisers Leeds:

Kia Oval’s Pitch and Scoring Patterns 

The surface at the Kia Oval stays true and flat, offering consistent bounce and rewarding batters who commit fully to their shots. Bowlers find early movement under cloud cover, but that threat fades once the shine goes. Square boundaries of around 58 metres invite big hitting, though straight boundaries stretch to 65-70 metres. 

T20 totals here average between 165 and 175 in the first innings, and Hundred matches have produced first-innings scores of 158 and 142 in past seasons, likely to climb as both sides push harder. History also favours bowling first: 43 of the last 77 ODIs here were won by the side batting second, an edge carried into the shorter formats too. 

Verdict on the Season Opener 

Depth wins tournaments like this one, and the champions still have more of it than anyone else in the field. Curran’s group returns the entire spine of a side that won three finals running, while the visitors are still working out where Brook fits best without the captaincy weighing on him. 

Crawley’s leadership faces an immediate test, and Abrar Ahmed’s control in the middle overs could decide how far Pooran and Rutherford push the total late. The chasing trend here suits Crawley’s bowling-first instincts more than a side built to set totals under lights. That tension, more than any single match-up, is what makes MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds Hundred 2026 the opener worth clearing your evening for. 

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When does the Oval opener between MI London and Sunrisers Leeds start?

Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 6:30 PM UK time. The men’s fixture at the Kia Oval marks the opening game of the new season for both franchises. 

Who is captaining MI London this season?

Sam Curran leads the side after being retained and named captain for 2026. He also captained the team to its third straight Hundred title in 2025 under its previous name. 

Did the reigning champions win The Hundred in 2025?

Yes, they won it as Oval Invincibles, completing a hat-trick of titles. That third straight men’s crown came in 2023, 2024 and 2025 before the club rebranded ahead of this season. 

What time do evening matches usually start at the Kia Oval this season?

Night matches at the Oval get underway at 6:30 PM UK. Afternoon fixtures, including the women’s game on the same day, start earlier at 2:45 PM. 

Who are the standout players to watch for Sunrisers Leeds?

Harry Brook is the headline name as the tournament’s highest earner. Mitchell Marsh, Abrar Ahmed and Zak Crawley round out a core built around 200,000-pound-plus signings and a rebuilt spin attack.