MI London defeated Birmingham Phoenix by two runs at Edgbaston on 12 August 2026, but the narrow victory confirmed their elimination from The Hundred. The defending champions won their final league game but not by the required 59 runs, which would have seen them overtake Sunrisers Leeds on Net Run Rate (NRR). Sunrisers Leeds have officially confirmed third spot and will play Manchester Super Giants in the Eliminator this Friday at The Kia Oval.
The Dramatic Net Run Rate Battle at Edgbaston
The final day of the group stage started with a three-way tie for the last spots in the knockout stages. Trent Rockets had already made 24 points to secure first place and a direct route to the final. Meanwhile, Manchester Super Giants, Sunrisers Leeds and MI London ended the season with 20 points from eight games each.
All three teams had five wins and three losses, and Net Run Rate decided the rankings. MI London went into the Edgbaston match knowing they had to win by a minimum of 59 runs to advance from fourth to third. To remain in the competition, MI London bowlers had to restrict Birmingham Phoenix to under 99 runs after scoring 157 runs in the first innings.
But Birmingham Phoenix got to 99 runs in their chase, which mathematically ended MI London’s hopes. MI London won the match eventually by two runs, but it was little more than consolation. The Sunrisers Leeds side celebrated their qualification without even playing on Wednesday night.
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The Hundred Men’s 2026 Points Table and Team Standings:
| Position | Team | Matches | Points | NRR |
| 1 | Trent Rockets | 8 | 24 | 0.740 |
| 2 | Manchester Super Giants | 8 | 20 | 0.791 |
| 3 | Sunrisers Leeds | 8 | 20 | 0.603 |
| 4 | MI London | 8 | 20 | 0.241 |
| 5 | Welsh Fire | 8 | 16 | -0.900 |
First Innings: MI London Set a Competitive Total
Birmingham Phoenix won the toss and chose to bowl first. MI London struggled to find the explosive rhythm they needed early in the game. Nicholas Pooran top-scored for the visitors with 36 runs off 21 balls. Jason Roy scored 26 runs, but the Birmingham bowlers kept the scoring rate under control.
Rehan Ahmed played exceptionally for Birmingham Phoenix. He took two wickets and gave only seven runs from his 15 balls. He used a googly to bowl Sam Curran for a duck and delivered six consecutive dot balls to slow the game down. Despite Rehan’s dominance, MI London reached 157 for 6 because of a late partnership between Ollie Sykes and Tom Curran. They added 33 runs in the final 16 balls.
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Second Innings: The Moment the Season Ended
MI London reduced Birmingham Phoenix to 23 for 3 during the powerplay. Richard Gleeson took two wickets in two balls, removing Mitchell Owen and Laurie Evans. At that moment, it seemed possible that MI London might bowl Phoenix out for less than 99.
However, Joe Weatherley and Sean Dickson saved the day for Birmingham and the Sunrisers. Weatherley scored 42 runs from 31 balls, while Dickson added 23. Together, they built a 58-run partnership that took the score past the critical 98-run mark. Specifically, a wide ball from Tom Curran officially took Phoenix to 99.
READ MORE: Tim Seifert’s 80 Powers Manchester Super Giants to 10-Wicket Win Over Sunrisers
Although the qualification race was over, the match remained close. Rehan Ahmed hit 23 runs off just 11 balls to bring Phoenix within reach of a win. Nevertheless, Trent Boult bowled perfect yorkers in the final five balls to secure the two-run win for MI London.
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