NS vs BP, Preview, Preview | Phoenix look for second win after thrilling victory over defending champions

08/15/2025

Northern Superchargers will be taking on Birmingham Phoenix in the 14th match of the Hundred Men’s competition in Headingley on August 15. The Superchargers will be looking for redemption after a disappointing 10-wicket loss last year, which ruined their qualification chances.

‌The 14th game of the Hundred Men’s competition will be held between the Northern Superchargers and the Birmingham Phoenix in Leeds. While this still might seem like a normal league match, it is a chance at redemption for the Harry Brook-led side, who faced a disappointing 10-wicket loss against them in the last season. The match witnessed the Superchargers being bundled out for a paltry score of 83 runs, which the Phoenix had chased down without any hesitation. This loss also played a huge role in the Northerners missing out on their playoff spot in the 2024 edition by a whisker due to a negative net-run rate. While this might be a forgettable fixture for the Men in Purple, they will be growing in confidence, knowing this season they are in a stronger position than the Phoenix.

The Chargers opened the tournament with a solid win over Welsh Fire in their first game of the tournament, where an innings from Zak Crawley at the top ensured them an eight-wicket win. Though they might have followed the great performance with a disappointing loss against Trent Rockets, a match-winning knock by Graham Clarke made sure they came back with a thrilling win against Southern Brave. With two wins and one loss in the three games, they are standing fourth on the points table.

While things started well for the Superchargers, the same cannot be said about the Phoenix. The Liam Livingstone-led side started the tournament with two disappointing losses in low-scoring fixtures against Trent Rockets and Southern Brave. Though a win against the defending champions in their previous encounter on the back of a brilliant knock by their skipper might give them some confidence, they are still struggling at the seventh position and will have to replicate a similar performance to the last time they faced the Superchargers to give their net run rate a boost.

Form Guide

Northern Superchargers' recent form in the tournament has been incredible as the Boys in purple have won four of the last five games they have played.

Though Birmingham Phoenix managed to break their losing streak in the last game, it has not improved their recent form, in which they have lost three and won only two games in their last five encounters.

Northern Superchargers: W L W W W

Birmingham Phoenix: W L L L W

Northern Superchargers vs Birmingham Phoenix Head-to-Head in the Hundred

Birmingham Phoenix just about hold a lead over the Northern Superchargers in the tournament in the four games the two teams have featured in. The Phoenix hold a 2-1 lead over the Northeners, with one game being called off due to rain.

Northern Superchargers 1 - 2 Birmingham Phoenix

Pitch and Weather

The surface at Headingley in the last game turned out to be a paradise for the batters. Though there was a bit of seam movement and bounce for the seamers at the start of the match, the pitch got easier to bat on under lights. Just like the last game, chasing would be the ideal choice on this wicket.

The expected temperature at Leeds is 24-25 degrees Celsius, and though it might be slightly cloudy, there should be no interruption from the rain gods at the venue.

Team News

The two teams are not expected to make any changes to their playing eleven in their upcoming venture.

Northern Superchargers Probable XI: Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Michael Pepper (wk), Harry Brook (c), Dan Lawrence, Graham Clark, Mitchell Santner, Tom Lawes, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Jacob Duffy.

Birmingham Phoenix Probable XI: Ben Duckett, Will Smeed, Joe Clarke (wk), Liam Livingstone (c), Jacob Bethell, Dan Mousley, Louis Kimber, Benny Howell, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.

Broadcasting Platforms

The 14th Hundred Men’s game between Northern Superchargers and Birmingham Phoenix will be digitally streamed on the Fancode and Sony Liv app/website. The fans can also catch the action on television on the Sony Sports Network.