Nita Ambani’s MI London hammered Kavya Maran-owned Sunrisers Leeds by seven wickets in the opening match of men’s The Hundred 2026 season at the Kennington Oval on Tuesday.
Published: July 22, 2026, 11:02 AM IST
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MI London’s Nicholas Pooran en route to scoring 58 not out vs Sunrisers Leeds. (Source: ECB)
MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds The Hundred 2026: Defending champions and newly rebranded MI London got off to a winning start in The Hundred 2026 opener against Kavya Maran’s Sunrisers Leeds with a seven-wicket win at the Kennington Oval on Tuesday. MI London, who were previously Oval Invincibles, have been bought by Nita Ambani’s Reliance Group ahead of this season.
The star of MI London’s win was West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran, who smashed a 19-ball fifty en route to scoring unbeaten 58 off 22 balls with 5 sixes and 2 fours. MI franchise’s captain and England all-rounder Sam Curran scored 60 off 39 balls with 3 sixes and 5 fours as his team chased down 144 to win in only 84 balls – out of a possible 100.
Pooran was severe on Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed from Sunrisers Leeds, who was smashed for 30 runs in the 10 balls he bowled without claiming a wicket.
WATCH Nicholas Pooran’s 19-ball fifty for MI London vs Sunrisers Leeds HERE…
A game changing knock!
Nicholas Pooran’s 19-ball fifty proved to be crucial as MI London chased a tricky target to begin their campaign with a win! #TheHundred2026 Southern Brave vs Welsh Fire | WED, 22nd July, 7.30 PM onwards on Star Sports Network & JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/QVhOjXd0Cw
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 22, 2026
It was the third fifty-plus score for Nicholas Pooran in MI colours after scoring 86 in 44 balls and 106 in 33 balls for MI New York in the MLC 2026 season earlier this month. Pooran was bought for Rs 2.25 crore or 175,000 pounds by Nita Ambani’s MI London.
The West Indies batter plays for Sanjiv Goenka’s Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League, where he was retained for Rs 21 crore. “Obviously, scoring runs gives you a lot of confidence, but winning games is more important to me. I’m just happy that we could get off to the right start in front of our home crowd this season,” Pooran said at the post-match presentation.
“We knew it was going to be tricky for the first couple of overs. We understood that. The wicket was a bit slow initially, and we felt that once the lights came on and we had a foundation, it would work in our favour. We actually play really well at home as well, so understanding the conditions and doing what we say is the most pleasing thing for us. Hopefully we can stay disciplined and humble and continue to play the game the right way, especially at home,” Pooran added.
Earlier, batting first, Kavya Maran’s Sun TV-owned Sunrisers Leeds managed to post 143 all out in their allotted 100 balls. Australian T20I captain Mitchell Marsh top-scored with 41 off 27 balls while Tom Alsop chipped in with 31 off 18 balls.
For MI London, Richard Gleeson was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 4/25 while skipper Curran picked up a couple of wickets.
