MI London Women has lost all three of its opening matches in The Hundred 2026 and its narrowest loss came yesterday against Southern Brave, where it failed to chase 127 and lost by 1 run.
Squad:
On paper, MI London has a very good squad. While they have stars at the top of their squad, their construction is often uneven.
Their top three are some of the best with Hayley Matthews, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, and Amelia Kerr. Along with these three, they also have the likes of Nicola Carey and Chinelle Henry; in theory, they should be a nightmare to bowl to. But the power on paper isn’t being converted on the field.
Outside the international players, the domestic depth and middle-order do not hold up in front of other teams. If Matthews, Wyatt-Hodge, or Kerr do not perform, there isn’t someone waiting down the line to accelerate under pressure as per the situation.
While they have good spin bowling options in Kerr, Matthews, and Kirstie Gordon, their domestic seam attack lacks pace and death-over execution seen in teams such as Southern Brave (who have Lauren Bell and Issy Wong).
They’re more of a star-power squad, where if 2 out of 3 individuals fail, the rest struggle to fill in the gaps.
Pacing, lack of acceleration (in Run Chases), and Top-Order Fragility Under Pressure:
Again taking their match against Southern Brave as an example, MI London were in full control of the chase at 109/2 needing just 18 off 35 deliveries. While Danni Wyatt-Hodge scored a half-century, 52* off 42, she couldn’t accelerate during the final phase. This allowed bowlers like Lauren Bell and Sophie Molineux to bowl multiple dot balls.
When the team is faced with manageable run chases or massive targets, rather than building up, they collapse. During their match against Welsh Fire, MI London were tasked with a target of 178. However, instead of building partnerships, they crumbled to 56/9 within 9 overs and got bowled out for 117. The only substantial partnership during that chase came between Chinelle Henry and Davidson-Richards, 46(32).
Over-Reliance on Individuals:
2 out of 3 games, we have seen Hayley Matthews more or less carry the squad, albeit her efforts were in vain.
Against Sunrisers Leeds, it was Matthews who was MI London’s highest scorer with 33(22). With Welsh Fire, while she got out early, the effects of it were seen across the chase, though earlier in the match she did pick up 2 wickets for 52 runs and with Southern Brave, she scored 32(28) and picked up 4 wickets for 22 runs.
Along with Matthews, Wyatt-Hodge has shown brilliance occasionally, but beyond these two, the middle order and lower order have not managed to step up. MI London either end up losing wickets in clusters so far or they fail to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Bowling:
If it’s not the batting department, their bowlers have also failed to restrict the opposition consistently. They are struggling with boundary control during the middle and death overs. Their collective bowling unit hasn’t been able to produce their best and build pressure from both sides.
Overall, MI London’s woes stem from failing to execute under pressure. While they possess the ability to put themselves in winning positions, it often falls short because their squad is also built around 2 to 3 star players, and if they’re failing, who’s performing?
