Southern Brave vs Welsh Fire, 2nd Match of The Hundred Men’s Competition 2026, takes place on Wednesday, 22 July 2026 at the Utilita Bowl, Southampton, with the start time listed as 5:30 PM local time and 11:00 PM IST. The pitch at Southampton has usually offered a fair contest, but recent ground stats suggest a slight edge to the team batting first, while the weather outlook is mostly clear with only a small rain threat.
The game is the second match of the tournament, so both sides will be eager to set the tone early and grab momentum in the opening week. Southern Brave have home advantage, while Welsh Fire arrive with a squad that looks stronger on paper than in some earlier seasons.
The Utilita Bowl has produced balanced but competitive Hundred games, and the listed ground stat shows an average first-innings score of 153 and an average second-innings score of 142 in the men’s competition, which hints that batting first can be useful here. That usually means a captain winning the toss may prefer to put runs on the board and then let the bowlers attack with scoreboard pressure.[
For the weather, the latest update shows clear conditions, around 26 C, humidity near 56 percent, wind around 14 km/h, and just a 10 percent chance of rain. In simple terms, it looks like a good night for cricket, with only a minor interruption risk.
This is an important early-season fixture because both teams will want to avoid starting with a defeat in a short league format where every point matters. Southern Brave did not have a strong previous campaign, while Welsh Fire also struggled last time, so both will see this as a chance to reset quickly and build early momentum. A positive result here can shape confidence for the next few matches, especially in a competition where rhythm often matters as much as raw talent.
Match details
The Hundred Men’s 2026 Live Streaming Info
UK
Sky Sports, BBC; streaming on Sky Go, NOW, BBC
India
Star Sports / Sony Sports Network; streaming on JioHotstar / FanCode, depending on local broadcaster.
Pakistan
USA
Willow TV, DAZN
Canada
Willow TV,
Australia
Fox Sports; streaming on Kayo Sports, Foxtel
New Zealand
Sky Sport NZ; streaming on Sky Sport Now, TVNZ
Caribbean
Rush / ESPN Caribbean, depending on provider listingthehundred+1
MENA
Cricbuzz TV / beIN Sports Connect, depending on the region listingthehundred+1
Sub-Saharan Africa
SuperSportthehundred+1
Southeast Asia
Cricbuzz TV
Live Streaming Info:
The 2nd T20 of the LPL 2026 will be live on Willow Cricket.
Live Score Info:
Jaffna Kings vs Galle Marvels 2026: All matches on ESPN and Cricbuzz have live scores.
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Southern Brave will rely on their pace and white-ball experience, especially with Jofra Archer in the attack and explosive batting options such as Marcus Stoinis and David Miller in the group. Welsh Fire, meanwhile, look dangerous with top-order power and a stronger all-round structure, featuring Phil Salt, Rachin Ravindra, Chris Woakes, and Lockie Ferguson in the squad. On current balance, this feels like a contest between Brave’s home comfort and Fire’s deeper international quality.
Southern Brave’s recent record was mixed, and Cricket World notes they won only four matches in the previous Hundred men’s season and missed the playoffs. Welsh Fire finished even lower last time, with only two wins, but the current squad looks more settled and more threatening with both batting depth and pace options. That means form slightly favors neither side in a clean way, but squad strength and upside lean toward Welsh Fire.
The early-round nature of the match also matters because neither side will want to chase the game too hard in the first week. A composed powerplay with bat or ball could decide the flow, especially if the pitch behaves true under lights.
Head-to-head record
Southern Brave have held the upper hand in this rivalry. Big Bash Dashboard’s head-to-head data shows Southern Brave lead Welsh Fire overall, with the recent results also leaning heavily toward Brave. The last five meetings available from the record show Southern Brave winning four, one game producing no result, and Welsh Fire not winning any of those five.
That history gives Brave a clear psychological edge, but it also makes Welsh Fire more motivated to break the pattern. Rivalry records can matter less than current squads in The Hundred, yet they still shape the mindset before the first ball.
Team analysis
Southern Brave’s biggest strength is their strike bowling and proven match-winners at the top and middle of the order. Archer, Jordan, Stoinis, Miller, and Adil Rashid give them a strong spine, and if one of the experienced batters fires, they can post a competitive total quickly. Their weakness, though, is that some of the batting names have not always clicked together consistently in the short format, and that can leave them vulnerable if the powerplay goes wrong.
Welsh Fire look more balanced and possibly more explosive on paper. Salt offers fast starts, Ravindra adds class and versatility, Woakes brings control, and Ferguson gives them wicket-taking pace. The concern for Fire is whether their middle order can stay steady if they lose early wickets, because this format punishes soft collapses very quickly.
Probable XIs
Probable XI: Michael Pepper, Jamie Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Tristan Stubbs, Tom Abell, David Miller, Nikhil Chaudhary, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.
Probable XI: Phil Salt, Rachin Ravindra, Joe Root, Jordan Cox, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Chris Woakes, Matt Short, Lockie Ferguson, Sam Cook, Marco Jansen, Ben Kellaway
On balance, Welsh Fire look slightly stronger because their squad has more batting depth and a more flexible bowling mix, even though Southern Brave have the stronger head-to-head record and home advantage. If the pitch plays close to recent Utilita Bowl numbers, the team that adapts quicker to the first-innings pressure should have the edge. Prediction: Welsh Fire to win a close match, but Southern Brave can absolutely upset them if Archer and Rashid dominate the key phases.