Match overview
Oval Invincibles beat Southern Brave by 7 wickets at The Rose Bowl on 18 August 2025, chasing 134 with something to spare. Brave were bowled out for 133, a total significantly below the venue's average first-innings score of 186 across 148 matches at this ground. Invincibles lost 2 wickets early in their powerplay but then cruised through the middle overs, adding 67 runs without losing another wicket to put the game beyond doubt. Sam Curran was named Player of the Match. The result extends Oval Invincibles' head-to-head lead over Brave to 5-1 across all six meetings in The Hundred.
Brave's innings was derailed before it really started. Three wickets fell inside the powerplay for 33 runs, a platform from which recovery in a 100-ball format is always difficult. The middle phase brought 61 more runs but at the cost of four further wickets, and by the time the death overs arrived Brave had little firepower left. They lost their last 3 wickets for 39 runs, finishing 53 short of what the Rose Bowl pitch typically produces.
Venue and conditions
The Rose Bowl has staged 148 matches in this format, and the numbers paint a picture of a ground that generally favours batters. The average first-innings score is 186, and powerplay innings average 43 runs from the first 25 balls, so Brave's 33/3 in that phase was well below what the ground usually offers. The average death-overs contribution sits at 36 runs, a figure the Invincibles comfortably matched in the second innings even while nursing their lead.
Sides winning the toss have elected to field roughly 52% of the time here, and Invincibles followed that pattern. The overall chase-success rate is 47%, which in most contexts would make defending a total reasonably competitive. In this case, Brave's total was far enough below par that the chasing side had a significant buffer from the outset. The pitch did not produce anything especially unusual; Brave simply did not post enough runs.
How to watch
The Hundred 2025 is broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Subscribers can stream via Sky Go, and those without a full Sky subscription can access matches through a NOW TV Sports day or monthly pass. The BBC holds rights to show selected matches free-to-air, so it is worth checking the BBC Sport website for any listed fixtures. For midweek and evening games, kick-off times in the UK are typically from 18:30 BST.
Recent form
Oval Invincibles came into this fixture with three wins from their last four 2025 matches, beating Welsh Fire, Manchester Originals, and London Spirit, with only a defeat to Birmingham Phoenix interrupting that run. Their form over 2024 included both meetings with Brave, so confidence in this fixture will be high.
Southern Brave have been less consistent. Back-to-back losses to Trent Rockets and Northern Superchargers immediately preceded this game, though wins over Birmingham Phoenix and Manchester Originals earlier in the 2025 campaign show they are capable of performing on their day. The trouble is that none of those wins came against Invincibles, a side who have found the answer to Brave in every meeting since 2021. For Brave, breaking that sequence remains the challenge heading into the remainder of the tournament.
