Trent Rockets’ bid to secure automatic passage to The Hundred 2026 final took an unexpected knock at Trent Bridge on August 10, when Southern Brave chased down 159 with three balls to spare, ending the home side’s six-match winning run in the men’s competition. Tristan Stubbs smashed an unbeaten 52 off just 28 balls, including a six off Lewis Gregory that brought up his half-century, while Marcus Stoinis added a rapid 46 off 25 to swing the match decisively in Brave’s favour after Rockets had posted 158 for 5. The defeat meant Rockets, who had needed only a win to guarantee top spot and a direct route to Lord’s, were suddenly left relying on results elsewhere to avoid the eliminator.
A Chase Built on Two Explosive Innings
Rockets’ total of 158 for 5 had rested on an unbeaten 66-run stand between Mitchell Santner, who finished on 35 not out, and Lewis Gregory, who added 28 not out, with Finn Allen also chipping in 23 off just 12 balls earlier in the innings. It looked a defendable total on a used Trent Bridge surface, but Stubbs and Stoinis had other ideas. Their pairing turned a tight chase into a canter down the stretch, with Stubbs’ finishing six the exclamation point on a Brave victory that had looked unlikely at the halfway stage of the run chase.
Rockets Left Waiting on Other Results
The loss meant Trent Rockets, despite leading the table for most of the group stage, no longer controlled their own fate. Their fate hinged on Manchester Super Giants beating second-placed SunRisers Leeds in the final group fixtures; a SunRisers win would have handed them top spot on superior net run rate and pushed Rockets into the eliminator instead. Manchester Super Giants duly delivered, routing SunRisers Leeds in Manchester on August 11 to all but seal their own place in the eliminator while confirming Trent Rockets would retain top spot and a direct path to Sunday’s final at Lord’s.
The Eliminator Picture Takes Shape
With Manchester Super Giants’ win, one of the two eliminator berths at the Kia Oval on August 14 is effectively locked in. The identity of their opponent was still to be settled by the last round of group matches on August 12, with SunRisers Leeds needing results elsewhere in the final round to hold on to a top-three finish after their heavy defeat to Manchester. Southern Brave, fresh off their statement win over Rockets, remain firmly in contention for the second eliminator spot themselves. Whichever two sides progress from the eliminator will meet Trent Rockets in Sunday’s final, a repeat of the format that has produced tense, high-stakes knockout cricket in previous editions of the tournament.
Why the Group Stage Still Matters
The Hundred’s format rewards table-topping form directly: the side finishing first after all 32 group matches advances straight to the final, while the second and third-placed teams must first win an eliminator to book their own place at Lord’s. That structure is precisely why Rockets’ six-match winning streak carried such weight, and why a single defeat to Southern Brave so nearly cost them their direct route to the final. It also explains the urgency behind Manchester Super Giants’ rout of SunRisers Leeds, a result that did double duty by advancing their own cause while simultaneously rescuing Rockets’ position at the top of the table.
Contrasting Views on Rockets’ Wobble
Some inside the Trent Rockets camp will view the defeat to Southern Brave as a useful wake-up call rather than a genuine crisis, arguing that a settled squad that has won six on the bounce can absorb one poor performance without it denting confidence heading into the biggest match of the season. Others will point out that needing another team’s result to bail them out of the eliminator exposed a fragility in Rockets’ net run rate cushion, and that a side with genuine title ambitions should not have let a six-match streak unravel against a Southern Brave team that had been inconsistent for most of the group stage. Both views will be put to the test at Lord’s on August 16.
What’s Next
Finals Day at Lord’s on August 16 will pair the men’s and women’s Hundred finals in a single afternoon and evening of cricket, with the women’s final starting first, followed by the men’s showpiece, both broadcast live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. For Trent Rockets, the job now is to regroup after a rare stumble and prove their six-match streak, rather than the defeat to Southern Brave, was the truer reflection of their season. For the two teams emerging from Friday’s eliminator at the Oval, the challenge will be to carry knockout momentum straight into a final against a Rockets side that, results elsewhere notwithstanding, remains the team every other side in the competition has to catch.