Published 21 July 2026. Updated 23 July 2026. Analysis and predictions are our opinion,
not a guarantee of anything. 18+, please gamble responsibly.
London Spirit host Manchester Super Giants at Lord’s on Thursday, with the women’s fixture at 3pm followed by the men’s game at 6.30pm UK time. It is the third match of The Hundred’s 2026 season and the first for both sides, after MI London and Sunrisers Leeds opened the competition at the Oval on Tuesday and Southern Brave played Welsh Fire on Wednesday.
Most UK bookmakers make Spirit slight favourites at 4/5, with the Super Giants out at evens. Betfair Exchange has it tighter, London Spirit at 1.79 and Manchester at 1.76, reflecting a market still finding its level with neither side having kicked a ball this year.
The case for London Spirit
Liam Livingstone takes over the captaincy after five years at Birmingham Phoenix, where he led the side in 2025 and was named the competition’s Most Valuable Player back in its first season in 2021. He brings Jonny Bairstow and David Willey into a top order alongside James Coles, signed for £390,000 in this year’s trade window, the highest fee paid for a player in the competition’s history. Adam Zampa gives the bowling attack a genuine wicket-taking spinner, and Jamie Overton and Tymal Mills add pace either end of the innings. Lord’s is Spirit’s home ground, and a settled top six with real power through the order is the strongest case for the extra few points bookmakers are giving them.
The case for Manchester Super Giants
The rebrand from Manchester Originals brings fresh investment and a squad built around Aiden Markram as captain, with Jos Buttler and Heinrich Klaasen giving the middle order serious white-ball pedigree. Buttler has scored 283 runs in his last eight Hundred innings at an average of 40, form that holds up in any T20-format competition. Rachin Ravindra adds another international batter capable of playing long innings at speed, and James Anderson lends the new-look attack a level of experience no other bowler in the tournament can match. A side with this much top-order quality opening as underdogs, on paper, is not obviously a two-goal gap.
What looks the smart angle
Neither side has a 2026 result to point to, so the case rests on personnel rather than form. Spirit’s home advantage and top-six depth make 4/5 with Virgin Bet, BoyleSports, Casumo, Grosvenor or Unibet a fair enough price, but Manchester’s batting through Buttler, Klaasen and Markram looks stronger than a straight evens shout suggests, particularly if the new ball swings at all for Anderson under Lord’s lights. This is opinion rather than a prediction, and new-look XIs in a 100-ball format can turn on two or three overs either way.
Elsewhere today
Southern Brave and Welsh Fire kicked off their own 2026 campaigns on Wednesday at the Utilita Bowl, and MI London’s title defence is already under way after their Tuesday opener against Sunrisers Leeds at the Oval. Birmingham Phoenix and Trent Rockets are next up on Friday.
Betting on cricket carries the same risks as any other market. Treat this as analysis, not a tip, and only bet what you can afford to lose.
Match result odds compared
Kick-off Thu 23 Jul, 18:30 UK time
Best price per outcome highlighted. Prices are a snapshot taken 23 July 2026 at 09:37 UK time
and move constantly; the bookmaker's current price applies. 18+, T&Cs apply.
