Southern Brave vs Sunrisers Leeds Match 5 Full Commentary

We are back. The two umpires and players have made their way out to the centre. It will be Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney to open the innings for Southern Brave. Brydon Carse will open the attack for the home side. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Looking ahead - Southern Brave would have been chasing a much steeper target if not for Adil Rashid's heroic spell. Even so, they have it all to do. They will need to pull off the highest successful chase at this ground in the league's history, and if they do, it will also be the highest chase in Southern Brave's history. It should be an interesting chase, so stay tuned.

Rashid ignited Brave, briefly - Chris Jordan appeared reluctant to use Adil Rashid early, holding him back after just one set of five balls. But when he finally turned to his premier spinner, Rashid delivered in style with three wickets in five balls during an extended set to haul Brave right back into the contest. The Leeds innings briefly threatened to peter out, but Dan Lawrence ensured that was not the case. His unbeaten 51 off 25 balls gave the innings the finish it deserved.

Marsh's blitz - It was a dominant start from Sunrisers Leeds, with Mitchell Marsh teeing off from the outset while Ryan Rickelton played the perfect supporting role in a 111-run opening stand. There was very little margin for error on this surface, but Southern Brave didn't help their cause by putting down three chances. Not all of them were straightforward, but the chance offered by Rickelton was one they would have expected to take.

Home side dominate - An authoritative batting display from the home side. They started strongly and finished just as well, with the team in orange dominating for most of the innings. Apart from that brief spell when Adil Rashid dragged Southern Brave back into the contest with his triple strike, the visitors rarely looked in control.

The timer has run out, and Southern Brave are behind on over rate. They will be allowed only 4 fielders outside the inner circle for the final set. Chris Jordan will close out the innings.

The ball has taken a beating, and the umpires feel it needs to be changed.

Chris Jordan returns.

Looks like we have lost the ball and the umpires have asked for a replacement.

Points on the board - Right then, Sunrisers Leeds have a W against their name, whereas Southern Brave are still finding their feet in this new season. We are now done with 3 games in the day, and we still have one game remaining. Sunrisers Leeds and Southern Brave go back and forth with a win each, and in Cardiff, the Women from Welsh Fire make light work of MI London. Next up, it is time for the Men from Welsh Fire to go up against MI London. That game is scheduled to start at 5 pm GMT (10.30 pm IST), and MI London are set to bowl first. You can simply switch tabs and catch our coverage of that contest. Cheers!

Let's recap the first innings - Earlier in the game, Sunrisers Leeds were asked to bat first and Mitchell Marsh came out like a man on a mission. He hit the ball to every part of the ground, and Ryan Rickelton also got off to a flying start. They did lose their way in the middle overs, and Adil Rashid completely turned the game on its head when he picked up 3 wickets in a space of 5 balls. It was then Dan Lawrence, who played a blinder and struck an unbeaten 51 off just 25 balls to go along with a cameo from Tom Alsop that propelled the Sunrisers to 187 runs.

Death bowling at its finest - The second innings really ebbed and flowed, and Sunrisers Leeds did really well to make a comeback, not once, but twice. The bowlers were peppered in the Powerplay, but managed to pick up a few wickets in the middle phase. Abrar Ahmed also bowled a lovely spell of 10 balls, where he picked up 2 wickets for 7 runs, after being hammered for 26 runs in his first 10 balls. The likes of Matthew Potts and Matthew Revis did bowl a few untidy sets which pushed the hosts on the back foot, but with 35 needed off 20 balls, Nathan Ellis and Brydon Carse conceded just 14 runs in the next 15 balls, which included a couple of fine saves in the field as well. In the final set, Potts just about held his nerve to see his side over the line.

Let's hear from the Player of the Match - Mitchell Marsh is given the award for his whirlwind knock of 69 off just 34 balls. Marsh says the tournament has been awesome so far and credits the great bunch of lads in the squad for settling in quickly. Mentions the way the bowlers bowled at the end was exceptional. On the venue, Marsh says it's a beautiful place to bat and even feels quite small at times. Hopes that as a batting group, they can make the most of their home advantage.

Runs throughout the lineup, no end product - It is a tough pill to swallow for Southern Brave, who lose their second game on the trot to begin their campaign, and they will feel this was one that they should have won. Ben McKinney was on fire at the start of the chase, but in that one set from Brydon Carse, where he failed to lay bat on multiple balls, it changed the momentum. He soon fell in the 40s, and Jamie Smith followed suit. Marcus Stoinis played a quick cameo but he and Miller got out in a small space of time and a lot rested on the shoulders of Tristan Stubbs. Stubbs did get out of the blocks quickly and even Nikhil Chaudhary got a couple of hits away at the other end. However, 3 of the last 4 sets went boundary-less and that was the true difference between victory and defeat.

The hosts clinch an epic clash - One of the games of the season already, and in the end, it is Sunrisers Leeds who manage to pip Southern Brave by a small margin to get their first win of the season. The home crowd got their money's worth, and after the Women failed to win a close game earlier in the day, the Men went on to do it.

Who will bowl the final set? It will be Matthew Potts. 20 to defend, a lot depends on how the first ball goes.

Sunrisers Leeds are out of time. Before the last ball was bowled, the Sunrisers had to bring an extra fielder inside the ring.

The skipper, Chris Jordan, walks out to bat next.

Just 9 runs off the last 10 balls. Outstanding from Nathan Ellis and Brydon Carse. Ellis to bowl the crucial penultimate? You betcha!

Brydon Carse comes back in, replacing Matthew Potts.

That was an unbelievable piece of fielding from Revis, and the crowd certainly applauded that.