Southern Brave have dominated the rivalry between the two sides, winning eight of the last 10 meetings. Welsh Fire have won once, with one match ending without a result.
Key Stats - Brave Dominant
- Southern Brave’s Jamie Smith has scored 39 & 60 in his last 3 knocks.
- Southern Brave’s Ben McKinney has scores of 42, 26, 16* & 31 in his last 5 innings.
- Southern Brave’s Chris Jordan has figures of 2/23, 2/5 & 3/22 in 4 matches.
- Welsh Fire’s Joe Root has scored 76*, 99* & 74* in his last 3 knocks.
- Welsh Fire’s Ben Kellaway has scores of 43, 24, 32 & 47 in his last 4 innings.
- Welsh Fire’s Ben Kellaway has taken 3/24, 3/22, 3/35 & 2/31 in his last 5 matches.
Southern Brave have Won four of the last Five
Southern Brave lead 4-1 in their last five matches against Welsh Fire.
Southern Brave Inconsistent Last season
Southern Brave had an inconsistent 2025 campaign, finishing fourth with four wins and four defeats. They ended level on points with the third-placed team but missed the knockouts on Net Run Rate.
The squad has changed significantly for 2026. Chris Jordan takes over as captain, while Jamie Smith, Marcus Stoinis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs and Michael Pepper add major depth.
Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid remain key figures, giving the Brave quality pace and spin. With more balance than last season, they will aim to start strongly at home.
Welsh Fire 2025 Struggles to Continue
Welsh Fire endured a poor 2025 season, finishing eighth with only two wins from eight matches. After missing the knockouts, they will be targeting a much stronger campaign.
Phil Salt has arrived from Manchester Super Giants and takes over as captain, while Jordan Cox joins after finishing as the leading run-scorer in The Hundred 2025.
Rachin Ravindra, Marco Jansen and Lockie Ferguson also strengthen the squad. With more international quality and better depth, Welsh Fire will hope to make an immediate impact.
Predicted Lineups
The Rose Bowl usually offers a balanced Hundred surface, though chasing has held a slight edge with 12 wins from 21 matches. The average first-innings score is 142, dropping to 129 in the second innings. Pacers have also fared better recently, taking 71 wickets compared to spinners’ 46.
Southern Brave (possible XI): Jamie Smith, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Tom Abell, Marcus Stoinis, Nikhil Chaudhary, Chris Jordan (c), Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood, Daniel Worrall.
Welsh Fire (possible XI): Phil Salt (c), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Joe Root, Jordan Cox, Rachin Ravindra, Chris Woakes, Marco Jansen, Jordan Clark, Lockie Ferguson, Sam Cook, Dillon Pennington.