Rachin Ravindra fell two runs short of a century but did more than enough to carry Welsh Fire past MI London by 15 runs in The Hundred at Sophia Gardens on Saturday, 25 July 2026. BBC Sport

Ravindra's 98 came off just 44 balls — a striking rate in a format where each side faces 100 deliveries and every ball carries outsized weight. The New Zealand left-hander cleared the boundary repeatedly, giving Welsh Fire a total that MI London could not chase down despite the format's built-in pressure on the chasing side.

The win was Welsh Fire's second on the bounce, building early momentum in the 2026 edition of the competition. Welsh Fire had also beaten Southern Brave earlier in the week, while MI London — the franchise formerly known as Oval Invincibles, rebranded under new team partnerships for this season — were coming off a match against SunRisers. ECB

Sophia Gardens, the Cardiff ground that serves as Welsh Fire's home, hosted the 10:00 start.

Earlier in the day, Welsh Fire's women's side also defeated MI London, with Sophie Devine impressing with both bat and ball. ECB Devine, the veteran New Zealand all-rounder, has long been one of the format's most reliable performers across global leagues, and her all-round display helped Welsh Fire's women to a convincing result.

The women's squad features direct signings Freya Kemp and Georgia Voll, both brought in ahead of the 2026 season. ECB Kemp, an England international, and Voll, the Australian top-order batter, were among Welsh Fire's retained acquisitions during the off-season roster build.

For the men, the story of the day was Ravindra. Two short of three figures is a footnote that matters only to the individual; for the team, 98 off 44 is a match-winning contribution by any measure. In The Hundred — where each innings is 100 balls rather than the traditional overs, and batters are incentivised to attack almost from the first delivery — that kind of pace at the crease tilts the game decisively.

Welsh Fire now sit with two wins from their opening fixtures. Whether that form holds across the tournament's remaining weeks is the question that matters next.