The Manchester Super Giants secured their place in Sunday's Men's Hundred final against the Trent Rockets after defeating Sunrisers Leeds by 20 runs in the Eliminator at The Oval. This victory marks the third time the Manchester franchise has reached the summit clash, following their appearances in 2022 and 2023.
Batting first, the Super Giants posted a formidable total of 186/4. Their innings began shakily when Tim Seifert fell for a two-ball duck, but a 57-run partnership between Jos Buttler and Paul Walter stabilized the side. After Buttler departed for 33, Walter and Heinrich Klaasen combined for a devastating 114-run stand off 62 deliveries. Walter, who survived a close caught-behind call on 49, anchored the innings with 80 runs, including eight sixes, before being run out on the final ball. Klaasen was equally destructive, smashing a 22-ball half-century that featured consecutive sixes off Tom Lawes, who conceded 48 runs in his spell. Klaasen eventually fell to Nathan Ellis for 63.
In response, the Sunrisers Leeds chase faltered early against the bowling of Josh Tongue. Tongue dismissed tournament standout Mitchell Marsh for a low score and trapped Zak Crawley LBW, leaving the Sunrisers struggling early on. Nothing that the Sunrisers tried worked on a beautiful batting strip. Despite a promising 81-run recovery effort between Harry Brook and Ryan Rickelton, the momentum shifted back to the Super Giants when Sonny Baker dismissed Brook. This sparked a collapse as Dan Lawrence and Matthew Revis fell in quick succession. While Rickelton reached his half-century, the required run rate became insurmountable.
Liam Dawson delivered a clinical final spell, conceding only 13 runs from his ten deliveries. He effectively stifled the Sunrisers by bowling three consecutive yorkers and claiming the wicket of Brydon Carse. Liam Patterson-White struck a breezy 17 off eight deliveries before Tongue deceived him with a slower one for his fourth wicket. The Sunrisers finished their 100 balls at 166/7, falling 20 runs short of the target. Tongue led the bowling effort with figures of 4/26, while Baker contributed 2/39, ensuring the Super Giants' progression to the final.
But if anything, that and a 30-run Powerplay was a false alarm for the Sunrisers.
Buttler remained the chief aggressor in the 57-run partnership, before falling to a slower one from Matthew Potts for 33.
