Sunrisers Leeds’ title defence is still on as they prepare to face Trent Rockets in the final of the Women’s Hundred at Lord’s on August 16. In the 2025 edition, then known as the Northern Superchargers, they claimed their maiden Women’s Hundred title. Now, they are one match away from defending it.
They head into the summit clash on a five-match winning streak. Throughout the tournament, several players, including Phoebe Litchfield, Annabel Sutherland and Deepti Sharma, have stepped up in must-win clashes. But the beginning of this campaign was far from smooth.
In their first four league-stage games, they won the tournament opener before suffering three consecutive losses. Then came a change in their planning, and it seemed to have paid off massively — at least, the numbers suggest so.
The move was to use Litchfield as an opener instead of at No. 3 and send Jess Jonassen from the opening slot into a finisher’s role lower down the order.
In the first four games, while batting at No. 3, Litchfield scored 106 runs in four innings at an average of 26.5 and a strike rate of 124.7. A 43-run knock came against MI London at The Oval in their tournament opener. She scored at a strike rate of 165.38 and guided her team to chase down the 108-run target with 31 balls remaining, giving them a massive net run-rate boost.
After being named Player of the Match in that game, though, she struggled to maintain the same impact, finding it difficult to score quickly and consistently. At the top of the order, Jonassen was struggling as well, scoring 40 runs in four innings at an average of 10 and a strike rate of 108.1, without fully taking advantage of the first 25 balls of the powerplay.
It was not surprising to see Sunrisers initially use Litchfield at No. 3. Last year, while playing for the same franchise, then known as Northern Superchargers, she batted in that position and played a key role in their triumph. She scored 292 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 157.83 and was eventually named Player of the Tournament.
Even during Australia’s successful 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, she was seen batting in the same position and made some crucial contributions. But Sunrisers’ team management still took the bold call. From the fifth game onwards, Litchfield was sent to open the innings while Jonassen was pushed down the order — and it paid off.
In the next five games, including the Eliminator, Litchfield scored 187 runs in five innings at an average of 46.75 and a strike rate of 205.49. That included two quickfire fifties and two Player of the Match awards. She now also holds the fastest fifty, off 20 balls, and the joint second-fastest, off 22 balls, in Women’s Hundred history.
As a result, Sunrisers first secured a spot in the Eliminator, finishing second at the end of the league stage, and then booked their place in the final by defeating Southern Brave in the Eliminator.
Meanwhile, Jonassen has also looked comfortable down the order. On the four occasions she has batted so far, she has remained unbeaten, striking at 162.5 and scoring 39 crucial runs in crunch situations. Three of those four innings came while chasing and, using her vast experience, she remained calm on each occasion to finish the game for her side.
Maximising the powerplay was another motive behind the move, and that also worked for Sunrisers Leeds. In the first four games, when Jonassen was opening, their average score after 25 balls was 26/2. In the next five games, with Litchfield at the top, they managed an average of 40/1 after 25 balls. It allowed them to maximise the fielding restrictions and provided a solid, explosive start, whether batting first or chasing.
With 293 runs in nine innings, Litchfield is currently leading the run-scoring charts this season. In the final, once again, all eyes will be on her to provide a solid start for her team.
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