MI London Beat Birmingham Phoenix by Two Runs but Miss Hundred Eliminator on Net Run Rate

MI London defeated Birmingham Phoenix by two runs in a dramatic final-ball finish at Edgbaston, but their victory came with a painful twist: they still missed The Hundred 2026 Eliminator on net run rate.

MI London posted 157 for six from their 100 balls before restricting Birmingham Phoenix to 155 for seven. Trent Boult nailed a yorker with the final delivery and Rehan Ahmed was run out attempting a desperate second run, sealing MI London’s fifth victory of the season.

Yet there was little celebration.

Sam Curran’s side had entered Match 32 knowing an ordinary victory would not be enough. Following Manchester Super Giants’ crushing win over SunRisers Leeds, MI needed a victory by roughly 59 runs to overhaul Leeds on net run rate and reach Friday’s Eliminator.

They won by two.

That left Manchester Super Giants and SunRisers Leeds occupying the qualification positions on 20 points, with MI London also finishing on 20 but eliminated because of their inferior net run rate.

Birmingham Phoenix endured an entirely different kind of disappointment. They came within one boundary of ending a miserable campaign on a high, only to suffer their seventh consecutive defeat after beginning the season by beating eventual league winners Trent Rockets.

Richard Gleeson was named Meerkat Match Hero after taking 2 for 29. His performance took him to 14 wickets for the tournament and left him leading the men’s wicket charts at the end of the league phase.

For readers following the entire tournament, The Sports Encounter’s The Hundred 2026 coverage tracks the major results, qualification battles, standout performances and tournament trends.

MI London vs Birmingham Phoenix: Match 32 at a Glance

Match Detail	Information
Competition	The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026
Match	Match 32
Date	August 12, 2026
Venue	Edgbaston, Birmingham
Toss	Birmingham Phoenix elected to field
MI London	157/6 from 100 balls
Birmingham Phoenix	155/7 from 100 balls
Result	MI London won by two runs
Match Hero	Richard Gleeson, 2/29
MI London top scorer	Nicholas Pooran, 36 from 21 balls
Phoenix top scorer	Joe Weatherley, 42 from 31 balls
Best Phoenix bowling	Rehan Ahmed, 2/7 from 15 balls
Qualification outcome	MI London eliminated on net run rate

MI London Needed More Than a Win

The unusual qualification equation shaped everything about this match.

A day earlier, Manchester Super Giants had transformed the playoff race by destroying SunRisers Leeds by 10 wickets at Emirates Old Trafford.

Tim Seifert smashed an unbeaten 80 from 40 deliveries and Paul Walter made 44 not out as Manchester chased 128 in only 67 balls. The Sports Encounter examined that extraordinary result in its report on Manchester Super Giants’ 10-wicket demolition of SunRisers Leeds.

That result did two things.

First, it confirmed Trent Rockets’ direct qualification for the men’s final at Lord’s.

Second, it pushed MI London into a brutal net-run-rate equation.

They could still finish level with Manchester and Leeds on five victories and 20 points, but simply beating Birmingham would not erase the damage accumulated across their earlier defeats.

The required margin was approximately 59 runs.

Sam Curran acknowledged after the match that MI effectively needed a perfect performance.

“I do think today we needed that perfect game, but it just wasn’t there,” Curran said.

That sentence captured MI London’s evening better than the final score could.

They did enough to win a cricket match.

They did nowhere near enough to win the qualification equation.

Pooran Gives MI London the Acceleration They Need

Birmingham Phoenix chose to field first, giving MI London an immediate chance to put scoreboard pressure on a side that had already been eliminated.

Will Jacks attacked quickly but lasted only seven deliveries. He struck two boundaries in making 11 before Chris Wood removed him with MI on 12.

James Vince provided the first sustained burst of acceleration.

His 22 came from only 12 balls and included three fours and a six. By the end of the 25-ball powerplay, MI had reached 48 for two.

That scoring rate was useful in an ordinary Hundred match.

For a team chasing a huge victory margin, it was merely the beginning.

Then came Nicholas Pooran.

The West Indian wicketkeeper-batter attacked Birmingham’s bowlers with the kind of aggression MI needed, hitting 36 from 21 deliveries at a strike rate above 171. His innings included two fours and three sixes.

Pooran provided the most destructive top-order contribution of the innings and temporarily gave MI hope of building the sort of total from which an enormous victory margin might become possible.

The problem was what happened around him.

Rehan Ahmed Produces an Extraordinary 15-Ball Spell

Rehan Ahmed changed the shape of MI London’s innings.

His figures deserve to be read slowly:

15 balls, eight dots, seven runs, two wickets.

In a format built around aggressive scoring, conceding seven runs from 15 deliveries is exceptional.

The wickets made it even more valuable.

Sam Curran fell for a four-ball duck when Rehan removed him with the score on 48. Later, Jason Roy was dismissed for 26 from 21.

Those breakthroughs mattered because MI were attempting to create an innings far beyond the normal boundaries of a competitive Hundred total.

Instead, Birmingham repeatedly slowed them down.

Pooran departed at 80 after 56 balls. Roy followed at 110 after 72. Sikandar Raza’s 17 from 13 ended at 124 after 84 balls.

MI were still scoring at a healthy rate, but the extraordinary total their qualification challenge demanded had disappeared from view.

Rehan’s spell was particularly important because Birmingham had struggled badly throughout the campaign. Their previous outing ended in a seven-wicket defeat at Lord’s despite scoring 162, when Liam Livingstone and Dewald Brevis ripped through the chase. The Sports Encounter detailed that collapse in its London Spirit vs Birmingham Phoenix Match 28 report.

This time, Phoenix’s bowlers gave their batting lineup a realistic opportunity.

Ollie Sykes and Tom Curran Rescue the Finish

MI London still found valuable late runs.

Ollie Sykes finished unbeaten on 23 from 14 balls, striking three boundaries, while Tom Curran added 17 not out from nine.

The pair pushed MI from 124 for six after 84 deliveries to 157 for six after 100.

Thirty-three runs arrived from the final 16 balls without another wicket falling.

That finish transformed an innings threatening to stall around 140 into a competitive 157.

Chris Wood finished with two for 28 from 20 balls for Birmingham. Tom Helm took one for 46, while Jordan Thompson claimed Pooran and finished with one for 24.

Saqib Mahmood went wicketless but remained part of a Birmingham attack that had done something important: it had already destroyed MI London’s realistic qualification hopes before the chase began.

Phoenix Collapse to 23 for Three

Birmingham needed 158 to win.

Their chase almost ended before it properly started.

Sikandar Raza removed Joe Clarke for one, leaving Phoenix two for one after four balls.

Mitchell Owen briefly counterattacked, scoring 18 from 10 with two fours and a six, but Richard Gleeson dismissed him at 23.

One ball later, Gleeson struck again.

Laurie Evans edged behind without scoring.

Phoenix were 23 for three after 19 deliveries.

For MI London, this was the moment when the impossible qualification scenario briefly flickered back into sight.

A huge victory would require Birmingham to collapse dramatically.

Three wickets inside 20 balls provided exactly that opening.

Gleeson’s new-ball impact also strengthened his individual tournament record. He ultimately finished with two for 29 from his 20 deliveries and six dot balls.

His 14 wickets left him top of the competition’s wicket standings after the group stage.

Weatherley and Dickson Refuse to Fold

Joe Weatherley and Sean Dickson changed the chase.

The pair stopped the early collapse and gradually rebuilt Birmingham’s innings, combining intelligent rotation with occasional boundary hitting.

The partnership passed 50 from 29 balls.

Weatherley was the more productive scorer, while Dickson gave him the stability Birmingham desperately needed after losing three early wickets.

The score moved from 23 for three to 81 for four.

That 58-run recovery destroyed MI’s remaining hope of the enormous victory margin required for qualification.

Sam Curran eventually trapped Dickson lbw for 23 from 17 balls after MI successfully reviewed the original decision.

The breakthrough came after 55 deliveries.

By then, the match had effectively divided into two different contests.

MI London’s playoff dream was disappearing.

The actual cricket match remained very much alive.

Weatherley’s 42 Keeps Phoenix in the Chase

Weatherley continued to hold Birmingham together.

His 42 came from 31 deliveries and included five fours and one six.

It was not an explosive innings by Hundred standards, but circumstances required control more than reckless acceleration.

Donovan Ferreira joined him and made 14 from 15 balls before Boult removed the Birmingham captain.

Phoenix reached 100 after 71 deliveries.

With wickets falling and the required rate increasing, the chase seemed to be drifting toward another routine defeat.

Then Curran removed Weatherley after 80 balls.

Birmingham were 114 for six.

They needed 44 runs from the final 20 deliveries.

MI London appeared to have the match under control.

Birmingham Phoenix had spent most of 2026 finding ways to lose from competitive positions.

This time, however, Rehan Ahmed and Jordan Thompson almost produced the escape.

Rehan Ahmed Turns From Bowler to Finisher

Rehan had already delivered Birmingham’s best bowling performance of the match.

Now he attacked MI with the bat.

The 22-year-old smashed 23 from only 11 balls at a strike rate above 209. His innings contained two fours and two sixes.

Jordan Thompson matched his urgency.

Thompson finished unbeaten on 23 from 13 deliveries, also hitting two sixes.

Together they transformed the final 20 balls.

MI’s bowling became harder to control as dew settled over Edgbaston.

Gleeson later acknowledged the conditions.

“It got very dew-y towards the end there, which made it difficult,” he said.

The difficulty was compounded by a slow over-rate penalty.

For balls 91 through 100, MI London were forced to keep an additional fielder inside the circle.

That restriction gave Birmingham another attacking opportunity at precisely the stage when Curran’s side wanted boundary protection.

The chase tightened quickly.

Phoenix reached 150 from 97 balls.

An innings that had stood at 114 for six after 80 deliveries had suddenly become a final-ball contest.

The Final Ball: Boult Nails the Yorker

Four runs were required from the 100th delivery.

Trent Boult had the ball.

Rehan was on strike.

Birmingham needed a boundary to win.

Boult went to the delivery elite death bowlers trust most: the yorker.

He executed it.

Rehan could only dig the ball toward deep point.

The batters completed one run and attempted a desperate second, but Rehan was run out by the Roy-Pooran combination.

Birmingham finished on 155 for seven.

MI London had won by two runs.

For a few seconds, the scoreboard told one story.

The tournament table told another.

Why MI London Missed The Hundred Eliminator

MI London’s fifth victory took them to 20 points from eight games.

In most circumstances, five victories from eight would represent a strong league campaign.

In The Hundred 2026, three teams finished with that record.

Manchester Super Giants ended the league phase with five wins, three defeats and a net run rate of +0.791.

SunRisers Leeds also finished 5-3, with a net run rate of +0.603.

MI London ended on five wins and three defeats but their +0.241 net run rate left them fourth.

The official The Hundred standings therefore send Manchester Super Giants and SunRisers Leeds into Friday’s Eliminator at The Kia Oval.

Position	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Points	NRR
1	Trent Rockets	8	6	2	24	+0.740
2	Manchester Super Giants	8	5	3	20	+0.791
3	SunRisers Leeds	8	5	3	20	+0.603
4	MI London	8	5	3	20	+0.241

MI’s elimination cannot be reduced to this two-run victory.

Earlier results created the problem.

Their six-wicket defeat against Trent Rockets proved particularly damaging. Sam Curran scored 72 in that match, but Mitchell Santner’s unbeaten 52 from 23 balls carried Trent home with 10 balls remaining. The full story is available in The Sports Encounter’s MI London vs Trent Rockets Match 25 analysis.

MI had also produced one of their best performances earlier in the tournament when they demolished Manchester Super Giants by 45 runs, a result covered in our MI London vs Manchester Super Giants match report.

The contrast illustrates why net run rate can be unforgiving.

Every heavy defeat and every slow chase remains on the ledger.

By Match 32, MI were trying to repair several weeks of arithmetic in 100 balls.

Richard Gleeson Ends the League Phase on Top

Gleeson’s Match Hero award was deserved.

His dismissals of Owen and Evans reduced Birmingham to 23 for three and created the possibility of an MI runaway.

He finished with two wickets from 20 balls while conceding 29 runs.

More significantly, those wickets took his competition tally to 14.

“To win five games and not qualify, when two teams have done the same as us, is disappointing but that shows the strength of the competition,” Gleeson said afterward.

That is the fairest assessment of MI London’s campaign.

Five victories were enough to put them level with two playoff teams.

Margins separated them.

The unusual finish also reinforced how competitive the men’s tournament became in its closing week. Southern Brave had already complicated Trent Rockets’ route by beating them at Trent Bridge, a match The Sports Encounter covered in its report on Tristan Stubbs’ match-winning innings against the Rockets.

Birmingham Phoenix End a Nightmare Season With Seven Straight Losses

Phoenix will wonder how this one escaped.

They began The Hundred 2026 by defeating Trent Rockets.

Then they lost seven consecutive matches.

Some defeats were heavy. Others were competitive. Match 32 belonged firmly in the second category.

Birmingham’s bowlers restricted MI to a total they could chase.

Rehan produced extraordinary figures.

Weatherley rebuilt after the early collapse.

Thompson and Rehan then brought 44 required from 20 balls down to four required from one.

They still lost.

That pattern has defined their campaign.

A previous defeat to Trent Rockets saw Birmingham restricted to 111 for six before Trent completed the chase with 17 balls remaining. The Sports Encounter’s Match 22 report showed how heavily Phoenix had come to depend on individual contributions.

The London Spirit defeat was more painful because Phoenix scored 162 and still lost with 18 balls unused.

Against MI London, the margin shrank to two runs.

The outcome remained the same.

The Hundred Eliminator Is Confirmed

The final league match settled the bracket.

Manchester Super Giants will face SunRisers Leeds in the men’s Eliminator at The Kia Oval on Friday.

The winner advances to Lord’s to meet Trent Rockets in The Hundred 2026 final.

That matchup carries an immediate storyline because the two Eliminator teams have just played each other.

Manchester demolished Leeds by 10 wickets in their most recent meeting.

Seifert and Walter chased 128 without losing a wicket, while Leeds were bowled out for 127.

SunRisers had entered that contest in excellent form, including a huge 71-run victory over Welsh Fire in which they scored 201 for four. That performance is examined in The Sports Encounter’s SunRisers Leeds vs Welsh Fire report.

The rematch therefore gives Leeds an immediate chance to respond.

Manchester enter with momentum and the stronger net run rate.

Leeds enter knowing one poor night at Old Trafford did not erase the cricket that carried them into the top three.

Official fixtures, results and match information are available through The Hundred’s official website.

Turning Points in Birmingham Phoenix vs MI London

1. Rehan Ahmed concedes only seven runs from 15 balls

MI London needed an enormous total to keep their qualification hopes realistic. Rehan’s two for seven prevented the innings from becoming the runaway they required.

2. MI recover from 124 for six

Sykes and Tom Curran added 33 unbeaten runs across the final 16 deliveries, lifting MI to a competitive 157.

3. Gleeson strikes twice in two balls

Removing Mitchell Owen and Laurie Evans left Birmingham 23 for three after 19 balls and briefly reopened MI London’s dream of a huge victory.

4. Weatherley and Dickson rebuild

The pair’s 58-run fourth-wicket stand ended the possibility of a Phoenix collapse large enough to transform MI’s net run rate.

5. Birmingham need 44 from 20

At 114 for six, the chase appeared close to finished. Rehan and Thompson instead produced one of the most aggressive late partnerships of the match.

6. MI’s slow over-rate penalty

Having an extra fielder inside the circle for the final 10 deliveries made boundary defense harder while dew was already affecting the bowlers’ control.

7. Boult’s final yorker

With four required from the final ball, Boult executed the decisive delivery. Rehan could only dig it toward deep point before being run out attempting a second.

TSE Verdict: A Victory That Felt Like Elimination

Match 32 produced one of the strangest emotional endings of The Hundred 2026.

MI London won.

Birmingham Phoenix lost.

Neither side walked away satisfied.

Phoenix finished bottom after seven consecutive defeats, having come within two runs of breaking the streak.

MI finished with five wins from eight, the same record as Manchester Super Giants and SunRisers Leeds, yet still missed the Eliminator.

Their fate was decided by the margins accumulated across an entire campaign rather than by the final two runs at Edgbaston.

Curran said MI needed the perfect game.

They never found it.

Rehan’s spell prevented the huge first-innings total. Weatherley and Dickson stopped the chase collapsing. Thompson and Rehan then forced the match to the 100th ball.

Boult won that final confrontation.

The table had already won the bigger one.

Manchester Super Giants will now meet SunRisers Leeds at The Oval, while Trent Rockets wait at Lord’s.

MI London can only look back at the moments across eight league matches that turned a five-win campaign into fourth place.

For Birmingham Phoenix, the review may be even harsher.

Seven consecutive defeats after beating the eventual league leaders represent a season that began with promise and unraveled almost completely.

Edgbaston provided one final chance to change the ending.

They fell two runs short.

Follow more match reports, tournament analysis and international cricket coverage through The Sports Encounter’s Cricket hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Birmingham Phoenix vs MI London in Match 32 of The Hundred 2026?

MI London defeated Birmingham Phoenix by two runs at Edgbaston on August 12, 2026.

What was the final score?

MI London scored 157 for six from 100 balls. Birmingham Phoenix finished on 155 for seven from their 100 deliveries.

Who was Match Hero?

Richard Gleeson was named Match Hero after taking two wickets for 29 runs from 20 deliveries.

Who top-scored for MI London?

Nicholas Pooran top-scored with 36 from 21 balls, including two fours and three sixes.

Who top-scored for Birmingham Phoenix?

Joe Weatherley made 42 from 31 balls with five fours and one six.

How did Rehan Ahmed perform?

Rehan produced an outstanding all-round performance. He took two wickets for only seven runs from 15 balls and later smashed 23 from 11 deliveries during Birmingham’s late chase.

Why did MI London fail to qualify despite winning?

MI London finished level with Manchester Super Giants and SunRisers Leeds on five wins and 20 points, but their net run rate was lower. MI finished at +0.241 compared with Manchester’s +0.791 and Leeds’ +0.603.

How big a win did MI London need to qualify?

Pre-match calculations indicated MI London needed to beat Birmingham Phoenix by approximately 59 runs to move above SunRisers Leeds on net run rate. They won by only two runs.

Who will play in The Hundred 2026 men’s Eliminator?

Manchester Super Giants will face SunRisers Leeds at The Kia Oval on Friday, August 14.

Who awaits the Eliminator winner?

League leaders Trent Rockets have qualified directly for the final at Lord’s and will face the winner of Manchester Super Giants vs SunRisers Leeds.

How did Birmingham Phoenix finish the season?

Phoenix finished bottom after losing seven consecutive matches. Their only victory came in their opening game against Trent Rockets.

How many wickets did Richard Gleeson take in the league stage?

Gleeson’s two wickets against Birmingham took his tournament tally to 14, putting him at the top of the men’s wicket chart following the league phase.