Southern Brave Women vs London Spirit Women Prediction: London Spirit aiming for good start

Southern Brave Women and London Spirit Women are going head to head in Match 2 of The Hundred Women at Utilita Bowl, Southampton, United Kingdom, United Kingdom on 24th July 2024. London Spirit will be looking to put behind their last season's form. Who will win this game of cricket?

It was just last season when Southern Brave Women finished in first place by winning 7 of 8 matches. That run took them all the way to the final, and a 34-run win over Northern Superchargers. As the reigning The Hundred Women's Competition champions they took on London Spirit in what will be a difficult first game of this 2024 version. Though strong, they'll have to be at their best against an opposition team that arrives well-prepared, with most of last year's lineup returning. That could pave the way for a new captain if they appoint one—the continuity is there.

With key players like Smriti Mandhana and Danielle Wyatt at the forefront, known for their hard-hitting, much will depend on what these two can do at the start of an innings. Maia Bouchier and Georgia Adams will be an important part of stitching together the middle order. Bouchier, remarkable at three last season, would be one of the big players to watch.

The bowling all-rounder Freya Kemp made a telling contribution in the bowling department as she scored a brisk 31 off 17 balls batting at number six in the last final played at Lord's. The presence of bowling all-rounders brings depth to the batting and variation to their bowling. Lauren Cheatle, a left-arm medium-fast bowler is their new recruit this season and she replaces Anya Shrubsole.

Smriti Mandhana (c), Danielle Wyatt, Maia Bouchier, Chloe Tryon, Georgia Adams, Freya Kemp, Mary Taylor, Kalea Moore, Lauren Cheatle, Rhianna Southby (wk), Lauren Bell

London Spirit is to regain the winning ways, and the opening game of this year's The Hundred Women's Competition against the defending champions provides them with an excellent opportunity. A good start will hugely improve their momentum for the rest of the season as the team has experienced players in the likes of Meg Lanning, Heather Knight, Grace Harris, all of whom are adept at sewing up big totals.

The batting order could remain top-heavy with Grace Harris, Danielle Gibson, and Heather Knight. But inserting Lanning up the order and pushing Harris to four may serve the team's purpose also. With Amelia Kerr and Richa Ghosh being unavailable, the team will be looking at having their replacement fill the gaps really fast. Ghosh was an aggressive scorer who could hit big.

With experience like this, Lanning is a good candidate to replace her. However the absence of Kerr as an all-rounder may turn out more difficult to replace given there are no new all-rounders in the squad to replace her.

The fact that Charlotte Dean, Sarah Glenn, and Tara Norris are all retained in the bowling lineup means it is a strong squad that can put pressure on any team in every aspect of the game.

Grace Harris, Danielle Gibson, Heather Knight (c), Meg Lanning, Georgia Redmayne (wk), Sarah Glenn, Charlotte Dean, Cordelia Griffith, Tara Norris, Eva Gray, Hannah Jones

We can expect a hard match between two even teams. Both teams have strong batting lineups, and most likely, the first inning will be high-scoring. Based on the previous results here and the balanced squad overall, London Spirit will be slightly ahead by our match prediction and can win this match. However, we think the Southern Brave Women will win.