Rickelton and Carse Crush Birmingham Phoenix as SunRisers Leeds Surge to Second in The Hundred

Ryan Rickelton’s 65 from 37 balls gave SunRisers Leeds the platform before Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts dismantled Birmingham Phoenix’s chase, sealing a 45-run win at Edgbaston that moved Leeds into second place in The Hundred 2026 and ended Phoenix’s qualification hopes.

Birmingham Phoenix needed a result to preserve the faint possibility that their season could still become something meaningful.

SunRisers Leeds arrived at Edgbaston with a very different problem. The top of The Hundred table had become crowded enough that winning alone was beginning to feel insufficient. Net run rate was becoming almost as valuable as the four points available for victory.

By the end of Match 24, Leeds had taken care of both.

Ryan Rickelton struck 65 from 37 deliveries and combined with Mitchell Marsh to build the innings before SunRisers reached 169 for seven from their 100 balls. Birmingham’s response never recovered from a brutal opening spell by Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts, slipping to 27 for three inside the 25-ball powerplay before finishing on 124 for eight.

The 45-run victory gave SunRisers their second consecutive win, strengthened their net run rate and lifted them above MI London and Welsh Fire into second place. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Phoenix, meanwhile, were eliminated from knockout contention after another batting performance in which the pressure of the required rate arrived almost immediately and never disappeared.

For continued tournament coverage, follow The Sports Encounter’s Cricket section, including our earlier report on SunRisers’ five-run defeat to Trent Rockets.

Official results, fixtures, standings and tournament information are available through The Hundred’s official website. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

SunRisers Leeds vs Birmingham Phoenix: Match 24 Summary

Match Detail	Information
Competition	The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026
Match	Match 24
Date	August 7, 2026
Venue	Edgbaston, Birmingham
Toss	Birmingham Phoenix elected to field
SunRisers Leeds	169/7 from 100 balls
Birmingham Phoenix	124/8 from 100 balls
Result	SunRisers Leeds won by 45 runs
Match Hero	Ryan Rickelton, 65 from 37 balls
Best SunRisers bowling	Brydon Carse 3/17, Matthew Potts 3/22
Phoenix top scorer	Sean Dickson, 34 from 27 balls
Points	SunRisers Leeds 4, Birmingham Phoenix 0

TL;DR

• SunRisers Leeds beat Birmingham Phoenix by 45 runs at Edgbaston.
• Ryan Rickelton scored 65 from 37 balls with six fours and three sixes.
• Mitchell Marsh gave SunRisers another fast start with 34 from 23.
• Rickelton and Marsh added 52 for the first wicket from 32 balls.
• Brydon Carse took 3 for 17 from 20 balls and delivered 13 dot balls.
• Matthew Potts finished with 3 for 22 from 20 balls.
• Phoenix slipped to 23 for three after 22 balls and never recovered.
• Sean Dickson top-scored for Birmingham with 34 from 27.
• SunRisers moved into second place on 16 points.
• Birmingham Phoenix were eliminated from knockout contention.

Rickelton and Marsh Put Phoenix Under Pressure Before a Wicket Falls

Birmingham captain Donovan Ferreira chose to field, presumably believing Edgbaston would give his attack an opportunity to control the opening phase.

Instead, Mitchell Marsh immediately imposed the rhythm SunRisers wanted.

Marsh has spent much of The Hundred 2026 attacking before his opening partners need to take significant risks. That pattern appeared again.

He struck five fours and a six during a 23-ball 34, giving Ryan Rickelton time to settle into the innings without allowing the scoring rate to stall.

SunRisers reached 46 without loss after the 25-ball powerplay.

The first-wicket partnership reached 50 from 30 balls, with Marsh contributing 34 and Rickelton 17.

That distribution helps explain how the partnership functioned.

Marsh attacked early. Rickelton watched, adjusted and then took over.

SunRisers have used similar top-order aggression throughout the competition. Earlier in the tournament, Marsh, Zak Crawley and Harry Brook combined to produce a record Headingley chase against Manchester Super Giants.

Usman Tariq Gives Birmingham Their First Opening

Usman Tariq ended the partnership by bowling Marsh from the 32nd delivery.

At 52 for one, Birmingham finally had a chance to slow the innings.

Harry Brook refused to allow that opening to develop.

The England batter struck 19 from only 11 balls, including two fours and a six, maintaining a strike rate above 170.

Usman struck again by trapping Brook lbw, completing the most productive spell of the Phoenix attack.

He finished with two for 28 from 20 balls.

Tom Helm also provided valuable control, conceding only 25 from his 20 deliveries.

Those spells prevented SunRisers from reaching the type of total they had produced only three days earlier when Marsh, Rickelton and Brook powered them to a record 241 against London Spirit. The Hundred’s official coverage confirmed that 241 was the highest men’s total in competition history. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Rickelton Turns Stability Into Acceleration

Rickelton reached his half-century from 27 balls.

By then, the South African had transformed from the supporting player in the opening partnership into the central figure of SunRisers’ innings.

His 65 came from 37 deliveries at a strike rate of 175.67 and included six fours and three sixes.

The timing of the acceleration mattered as much as the final number.

SunRisers reached 100 after 62 balls. That left 38 balls for an attack on 170 or beyond.

Rickelton remained at the crease through most of that phase while wickets fell around him.

Zak Crawley managed only three from five balls. Dan Lawrence contributed 14 from 12. Matthew Revis provided a brief burst with six from two deliveries before being run out.

Rickelton was eventually run out for 65 on ball 93.

He later admitted SunRisers probably left another 10 or 20 runs unused, which is a reasonable assessment given their position during the middle phase.

Yet 169 soon looked considerably larger once Carse took the ball.

SunRisers Leave Runs Behind but Still Find 169

The final 15 deliveries contained enough disruption to prevent SunRisers from finishing with the flourish their platform suggested.

Dan Lawrence fell at 139.

Revis was run out at 145.

Rickelton departed at 154, and Carse followed without scoring two balls later.

Liam Patterson-White and Matthew Potts rescued the finish.

Patterson-White struck an unbeaten 10 from six balls, including a six, while Potts launched eight from three deliveries.

Those late runs took the score from 154 for seven after 95 balls to 169 for seven from the full allocation.

Fifteen from the final five balls changed the psychological shape of the chase.

Phoenix now required 1.70 runs per delivery from the beginning.

Carse Destroys Birmingham’s Powerplay

Brydon Carse said afterward that SunRisers entered the innings with a simple plan: use him for ten balls during the powerplay and attack the surface with hard lengths and variations.

The plan could hardly have worked better.

Mitchell Owen struck three boundaries while scoring 12 from ten balls, but Carse removed him from ball ten, with Abrar Ahmed taking the catch.

Matthew Potts then dismissed Will Smeed for nine.

Three deliveries later, Carse removed Rehan Ahmed for a duck.

Birmingham were 23 for three after 22 balls.

By the end of the 25-ball powerplay, they had reached only 27 for three.

The required rate had already become punishing.

SunRisers had scored 46 without loss from their first 25 deliveries.

Phoenix managed 27 for three.

That 19-run difference came with three wickets attached.

The match was already leaning heavily toward Leeds.

Carse’s 13 Dot Balls Explain the Real Damage

Carse completed his 20 deliveries with figures of three for 17.

The wickets were obvious.

The 13 dot balls were equally important.

He conceded runs from only seven deliveries.

In a format where teams have only 100 balls, a bowler effectively consuming 13 percent of an innings without conceding a run is enormously valuable.

Carse also removed Phoenix captain Donovan Ferreira for three from seven balls later in the innings.

His three dismissals therefore included an aggressive opener, a top-order batter and the captain.

That is why his spell carried as much influence as Rickelton’s innings, even though the batter received the official Match Hero award.

Abrar Ahmed Makes the Middle Overs Equally Uncomfortable

Birmingham needed a rebuilding period after losing three wickets early.

Joe Clarke and Sean Dickson attempted to provide it.

The pair added 44 for the fourth wicket and briefly restored some stability.

Clarke reached 25 from 22 deliveries, including three fours and a six.

Abrar Ahmed ended the partnership.

The Pakistan spinner conceded just 19 from his 20 balls, delivered 11 dots and removed Clarke.

His economy gave Birmingham no opportunity to compensate for Carse’s damage at the opposite end.

This is what separated the two bowling attacks.

Phoenix found wickets during SunRisers’ innings, but they rarely combined wickets with sustained periods of dots.

Leeds did both.

Phoenix Reach 82 for Five After 70 Balls and the Chase Is Effectively Gone

Ferreira’s dismissal left Birmingham 72 for five after 63 balls.

At the strategic timeout after 70 deliveries, Phoenix were 82 for five.

They needed 88 from the final 30.

At almost three runs per ball, the equation had moved beyond realistic recovery.

Dickson kept batting.

Jordan Thompson tried to create some late aggression.

But SunRisers no longer needed to chase wickets. They simply had to avoid giving away consecutive boundaries.

Dickson eventually made 34 from 27 balls, with three fours and a six.

Nathan Ellis removed him on ball 83.

By then, the target was unreachable.

Potts Finishes What Carse Started

Potts had damaged Birmingham early by dismissing Smeed.

He returned to prevent the lower order from generating even a cosmetic recovery.

Scott Currie struck five from three balls before Potts bowled him.

Tom Helm was bowled next delivery for a duck.

Potts completed his spell with three wickets for 22 runs from 20 balls and 11 dot deliveries.

Carse and Potts therefore combined for:

• 40 deliveries
• 39 runs conceded
• Six wickets
• 24 dot balls

That meant nearly one quarter of Birmingham’s entire innings consisted of scoreless deliveries from only two bowlers.

No chase of 170 can survive that level of compression.

SunRisers’ Bowling Attack Has Become Their Qualification Weapon

Rickelton acknowledged afterward that the batters probably left runs behind but added that the bowlers have been carrying the side through important moments.

That observation fits the last two matches.

Against London Spirit, the headline belonged to the record-breaking 241, but Leeds still had to defend against a side that eventually scored 204 for six. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

At Edgbaston, there was no need for a batting record.

Carse, Potts and Abrar made 169 look far beyond reach.

The broader pattern also represents a recovery from SunRisers’ earlier defeat at Trent Bridge, when Mohammad Amir removed Marsh and Brook and Trent Rockets defended 146 by five runs.

SunRisers have responded to that defeat with consecutive victories.

Why Birmingham Phoenix Lost

The 45-run margin came from several phases rather than one collapse.

The powerplay was almost unrecoverable

SunRisers scored 46 for no wicket from the first 25 balls.

Birmingham made 27 for three.

That alone created a 19-run gap and removed three Phoenix batters.

Phoenix produced too many dot balls

Carse delivered 13 dots, Potts 11 and Abrar 11.

Those three bowlers supplied 35 scoreless deliveries from 60 balls.

More than half their combined deliveries produced no run.

The middle order could not generate acceleration

Joe Clarke made 25 from 22, Dickson 34 from 27 and Ferreira three from seven.

All three innings consumed deliveries without bringing the required rate back under control.

Phoenix never had one dominant innings

SunRisers had Rickelton’s 65 at a strike rate above 175.

Birmingham’s highest score was Dickson’s 34 at 125.92.

The difference between those two innings was enormous in a 100-ball match.

Birmingham’s Season Ends Without a Late Escape

The defeat confirmed what their position had increasingly suggested.

Phoenix are out of the qualification race.

The men’s team sits at the bottom of the standings after a campaign that repeatedly produced isolated good performances without enough complete team displays. The official schedule leaves Phoenix with matches against London Spirit and MI London, but those games now concern pride and the final standings rather than qualification. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

Their earlier 45-run defeat to Southern Brave exposed similar batting problems, while Trent Rockets subsequently defeated them convincingly in Match 22. Our report on Trent Rockets’ win over Birmingham showed how increasingly narrow the Phoenix route to the knockouts had become.

The campaign has also unfolded against wider questions around the competition’s audience and presentation, which we examined in our analysis of whether The Hundred is losing some of its early momentum with English cricket fans and our later look at empty seats and attendance at Trent Bridge.

SunRisers Leeds Move Into Second Place

The size of the victory carried almost as much value as the result.

SunRisers now have four wins from six games and 16 points.

Trent Rockets remain first with 20 points.

Leeds, MI London and Welsh Fire are all tied on 16, but SunRisers hold second place because their net run rate has improved to +0.674. MI London sit third at +0.448, while Welsh Fire have fallen to fourth with -0.537. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

The Hundred 2026 Men’s Standings After Match 24

Position	Team	Played	Won	Lost	NRR	Points
1	Trent Rockets	6	5	1	+0.893	20
2	SunRisers Leeds	6	4	2	+0.674	16
3	MI London	6	4	2	+0.448	16
4	Welsh Fire	6	4	2	-0.537	16
5	Manchester Super Giants	6	3	3	+0.495	12
6	Southern Brave	6	2	4	+0.022	8
7	London Spirit	6	1	5	-0.458	4
8	Birmingham Phoenix	6	1	5	Negative NRR	4

The official standings confirm that the group winner advances directly to the final, while second and third contest the Eliminator. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Net Run Rate Has Become a Major Part of the Qualification Race

Four points separated first from fifth after Match 24, but the more important cluster sits immediately behind Trent Rockets.

SunRisers, MI London and Welsh Fire all have 16 points.

Manchester remain alive on 12.

That means a substantial victory can alter qualification position even when two teams have identical win-loss records.

Leeds understood that.

Rickelton explicitly referenced the importance of a large net-run-rate victory during the post-match interview.

The 45-run margin provided exactly that.

Manchester demonstrated the same value two days earlier when Tim Seifert and Jos Buttler chased 156 in only 69 balls against Welsh Fire. That result revived Manchester’s campaign while damaging Welsh Fire’s NRR, as detailed in our report on the Super Giants’ 31-ball demolition of Welsh Fire.

SunRisers’ Remaining Matches Put Qualification in Their Own Hands

Carse described the situation accurately after the match: two games remain, and SunRisers now control their own route.

They face Welsh Fire at Headingley on August 9 before visiting Manchester Super Giants at Emirates Old Trafford on August 11. Both matches are against direct qualification rivals. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

The Welsh Fire fixture may be particularly important.

Both teams currently have 16 points, but their net-run-rate positions could make the match effectively worth more than four points in the qualification race.

Manchester are also dangerous after rediscovering their batting explosiveness. Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 51 in the win over Welsh Fire took him to the top of T20 cricket’s all-time run-scoring list, a milestone explored in our feature on how Buttler became T20 cricket’s leading run-scorer.

Three Turning Points That Decided Match 24

1. Marsh’s powerplay aggression

Marsh ensured Rickelton could settle without SunRisers falling behind the scoring rate. Their 52-run partnership set the innings structure.

2. Rickelton’s acceleration after Marsh departed

His 65 from 37 provided the one substantial innings neither side could replicate.

3. Carse and Potts reduce Phoenix to 27 for three

The chase effectively became damage limitation once Birmingham lost three wickets during a powerplay in which they scored only 27.

Player of the Match: Ryan Rickelton

Rickelton’s 65 earned him the Meerkat Match Hero award.

His innings was valuable because of the role changes within it.

He initially supported Marsh.

Once Marsh departed, Rickelton increased the tempo.

When wickets began falling through the middle and closing phases, he remained long enough to make sure SunRisers retained a defendable total.

He reached fifty from 27 deliveries and eventually finished with six fours and three sixes.

His form is becoming particularly important because opponents can no longer build their plans entirely around Marsh and Brook.

Carse May Have Produced the More Decisive Performance

Rickelton deserved his award.

Carse had a legitimate case of his own.

His 3 for 17 contained 13 dot balls and three strategically valuable wickets.

More importantly, he dictated how Birmingham were forced to approach the remaining 80 deliveries.

The match ceased to be a normal chase after the powerplay.

Phoenix were attempting to rebuild while simultaneously needing almost two runs per ball.

That contradiction came directly from Carse and Potts.

What This Result Means for The Hundred 2026

Trent Rockets still possess the strongest position after winning five of their first six matches.

The battle beneath them has become much less comfortable.

SunRisers’ victory places them second.

MI London remain level with them.

Welsh Fire have the same points total but are paying heavily for their net-run-rate collapse against Manchester.

Manchester themselves remain close enough to punish any team that slips.

That creates precisely the kind of qualification pressure a short league phase is designed to produce.

SunRisers also carry something the table cannot quantify: form.

They have followed their narrow defeat against Trent Rockets with a record 241 against London Spirit and a 45-run away victory at Edgbaston.

Two very different wins have produced the same message.

Leeds are becoming increasingly difficult to beat.

Final Verdict

Ryan Rickelton gave SunRisers Leeds the innings they needed.

Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts gave Birmingham Phoenix almost no realistic opportunity to chase it.

The 169 for seven was competitive rather than extraordinary, especially only three days after Leeds had scored a tournament-record 241. But the bowling performance turned that total into something Phoenix never seriously approached.

Carse attacked the powerplay. Potts supported him. Abrar Ahmed made the middle phase equally restrictive. Nathan Ellis removed Birmingham’s only established batter before any late revival could develop.

Phoenix’s campaign now moves into its final two matches with qualification gone.

SunRisers have the opposite problem.

They have climbed into second place, repaired their net run rate and placed their path to the knockouts largely under their own control.

The final week will decide whether this surge leads only to the Eliminator or something bigger.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Birmingham Phoenix vs SunRisers Leeds in The Hundred 2026?

SunRisers Leeds defeated Birmingham Phoenix by 45 runs at Edgbaston in Match 24 of The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026.

What was the score in Birmingham Phoenix vs SunRisers Leeds?

SunRisers Leeds scored 169 for seven from 100 balls. Birmingham Phoenix replied with 124 for eight from their full 100-ball allocation.

Who was Match Hero?

Ryan Rickelton received the Meerkat Match Hero award after scoring 65 from 37 balls.

How many runs did Ryan Rickelton score?

Rickelton made 65 from 37 deliveries, hitting six fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 175.67.

What were Brydon Carse’s bowling figures?

Carse took three wickets for 17 runs from 20 balls and delivered 13 dot balls.

How many wickets did Matthew Potts take?

Potts claimed three wickets for 22 runs from 20 deliveries.

Who top-scored for Birmingham Phoenix?

Sean Dickson made 34 from 27 balls, Birmingham’s highest individual score.

Are Birmingham Phoenix eliminated from The Hundred 2026?

Yes. The defeat ended Phoenix’s qualification hopes. Their remaining group matches will determine their final position rather than a place in the knockouts.

Where are SunRisers Leeds in The Hundred table?

SunRisers Leeds moved into second place after Match 24 with 16 points and a net run rate of +0.674. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

Who do SunRisers Leeds play next?

SunRisers Leeds next face Welsh Fire at Headingley on August 9 before playing Manchester Super Giants at Emirates Old Trafford on August 11. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

How does qualification work in The Hundred?

The team finishing first in the group qualifies directly for the final. The teams finishing second and third meet in the Eliminator for the other place in the final. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}