Birmingham Phoenix vs Sunrisers Leeds Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI Notes and Fantasy Captain Picks for the Hundred Men's 2026 Match 24
Match 24 of the Hundred Men's 2026 lands at Headingley on 7 August 2026 with the first ball at 11:00 PM IST. Birmingham Phoenix sit bottom of the standings with one win in five; Sunrisers Leeds arrive off a 37-run win over London Spirit in which they posted 241, the highest total of the season. Below: the Khel Now Dream11 captain slate, full predicted XIs for both sides, a Headingley pitch read, and the 2-3-2-4 combination that fits a chasing-friendly Leeds evening.
Match 24 at Headingley: 11:00 PM IST first ball, SUL riding the 241 wave
The Hundred Men's 2026 reaches its twenty-fourth fixture when the Hundred's hottest batting side meets the side still searching for its second win. The published venue is Headingley in Leeds, with first ball at 11:00 PM IST / 5:30 PM GMT / 6:30 PM LOCAL. Sunrisers Leeds have just posted 241 — the highest total of the Hundred Men's 2026 season so far — in a 37-run win over London Spirit. Birmingham Phoenix, by contrast, sit last on the standings with a 1-from-5 record and are chasing their first win in over a week.
A 241-posting side walks into a 1-from-4 side — captaincy debate is wider than the standings suggest
The standings tell a one-sided story: Sunrisers Leeds have the form, the batting firepower and the 37-run win over London Spirit that came off a 241 — the highest total of the Hundred Men's 2026. Birmingham Phoenix, by contrast, have lost four of their five matches and are still searching for combinations that hold together at both ends. But 100-ball cricket rarely obeys the form book for the full twenty overs, and the head-to-head record hints at the wrinkle: across five all-time meetings Birmingham Phoenix have two wins, Sunrisers Leeds three. The captaincy debate, then, runs deeper than picking the obvious form side — Ryan Rickelton and Zak Crawley are the consensus captain picks per the published slate, but the vice-captain rotation between Joe Clarke and Mitch Owen is where rank-climbing differential lives.
Headingley pitch and Friday evening Leeds weather — what fantasy players should weigh
Headingley has produced the highest first-innings average in the Hundred Men's 2026 so far, with three games this season landing in the 190-200 range. That makes it the most batting-friendly venue on the men's Hundred slate this year. The Friday evening Leeds forecast reads around 20°C with partly cloudy skies and average humidity around 51% — comfortable batting conditions, with the cloud cover enough to give the seamers early swing if they bowl full and straight. There is no significant dew forecast for an 11:00 PM IST first ball in August; the toss will matter less than usual at Headingley, but the chasing-side batting order still leans first-innings because of how high the scoreboard gets.
Reading the Headingley surface into your Dream11 selection
Three practical implications fall out of a Headingley batting deck. First, captain a top-order batter — the highest first-innings averages mean batters who face the most balls have the highest ceiling, and the boundary bonus on a fast outfield pushes top-order fantasy points up sharply. Second, prefer all-rounders who bowl in the middle five-ball sets (sets 3-6) where batting is in full swing and wickets come harder; an all-rounder captain who scores 40 with the bat and takes one wicket clears 70 fantasy points on this deck. Third, the 190-200 average tells you not to captain a bowler unless the format is bowling-specific — pace bowlers get clattered on this surface when they miss their length.
How 20°C and partly cloudy skies shape combinations
The Leeds evening weather is neutral fantasy territory — comfortable batting conditions without the extreme subcontinental dew that flips a chase around the 9 PM mark. Humidity around 51% is enough to give the new ball some swing in the first five-ball set if the seamers hit the hard length, but it is not enough to dominate the second innings. The upshot for Dream11 combinations: pace all-rounders who bowl in the powerplay (Rehan Ahmed, Mitch Owen types) earn more captain points than spinners here. The 2-3-2-4 combination recommended for this fixture (two wicket-keepers, three batters, two all-rounders, four bowlers) reflects exactly that venue reality.
BPH vs SUL Dream11 captain and vice-captain picks: Rickelton and Crawley first-choice, Clarke and Owen the differentials
The Khel Now Dream11 slate for Match 24 splits cleanly between Sunrisers Leeds top-order batting — captain — and Birmingham Phoenix keeper-batter and Aussie all-rounder — vice-captain. Ryan Rickelton and Zak Crawley are listed as first-choice and second-choice captain respectively; Joe Clarke and Mitch Owen are the first-choice and second-choice vice-captain picks. The reasoning is straightforward: Sunrisers Leeds' batting is the strongest fantasy lane on a Headingley batting deck, while Birmingham Phoenix's best fantasy points are concentrated in the wicket-keeper slot (Joe Clarke) and the bowling all-rounder slot (Mitch Owen). Grand-league players will look at Mitchell Marsh and Dan Lawrence as differential captain options to differentiate from the consensus Sunrisers stack.
Captain (first-choice): Ryan Rickelton (SUL)
Ryan Rickelton is the first-choice Dream11 captain pick per the Khel Now slate. He opens the batting for Sunrisers Leeds and is the only wicket-keeper option at the top of the order, which compounds his fantasy value on a Headingley surface where top-of-the-innings batters face the most deliveries. The published Team 1 slots Rickelton behind the stumps alongside Joe Clarke, which means his fantasy points combine wicket-keeping bonuses with batting ceiling. At a Headingley deck averaging 190-200, Rickelton captain can clear 80 fantasy points if he makes the 30+ start that his batting role demands. Pick him captain if you want the consensus form-side captaincy rather than a differential punt.
Captain (second-choice): Zak Crawley (SUL)
Zak Crawley is the second-choice captain pick — the captain who plays at three for Sunrisers Leeds and offers slightly lower ownership than Rickelton in the same batting order. Crawley's strike-rate ceiling on a Headingley fast outfield is the appeal; he has the boundary-hitting profile that turns a 25-ball cameo into 50+ fantasy points. The risk is straightforward: if Crawley falls early to Ben Dwarshuis or Chris Wood, his captaincy burns. The reward is a 50+ run burst that vaults you up the grand-league leaderboard. Pair Crawley as captain with Joe Clarke as vice-captain for a stacked Sunrisers-Birmingham keeper combination.
Vice-captain (first-choice): Joe Clarke (BPH)
Joe Clarke is the first-choice vice-captain pick per the published slate. He is Birmingham Phoenix's wicket-keeper batter — a slot that combines catching bonuses with batting ceiling in the middle order. Clarke is the only Fantasy point-of-difference for Birmingham Phoenix against a strong Sunrisers Leeds side; his ownership will be lower than Rickelton or Crawley captaincy, which is the differential benefit. On a Headingley batting deck, Clarke's wicket-keeping dismissals (a stumping or two against the spinners) add a small-but-real point bonus on top of any batting he contributes. Pick him as vice-captain if you want the safe Birmingham fantasy lane paired with a Sunrisers captain.
Vice-captain (second-choice): Mitch Owen (BPH)
Mitch Owen is the second-choice vice-captain pick and the more aggressive punt option. Owen is the Australian all-rounder who contributed to Birmingham Phoenix's only win of the season and is the bowling all-rounder on the predicted XI. His dual-skill profile — bat at four or five, bowl in the middle five-ball sets — gives him multiple fantasy-point paths. The risk is the same as any bowling all-rounder on a Headingley batting deck: if wickets do not come, his bowling points dry up. The reward is a 30+ score plus one wicket that lands 60-70 fantasy points from the vice-captain slot. Pick Owen if you want to pair a Sunrisers captain with a Birmingham all-rounder rather than a Birmingham keeper.
Team 2 captaincy: Mitchell Marsh first-choice, Dan Lawrence second-choice, Rehan Ahmed and Will Smeed as vice-captain
The Khel Now slate also publishes a second suggested Dream11 team for Match 24 — useful for grand-league players running two entries with different captain philosophies. In Team 2 the captain pick rotates to Mitchell Marsh (first-choice) or Dan Lawrence (second-choice), both Sunrisers Leeds batters; the vice-captain rotation is Rehan Ahmed (first-choice, Birmingham Phoenix leg-spinning all-rounder) or Will Smeed (second-choice, Birmingham Phoenix opener). This team construction keeps a Sunrisers batting lean in the captain slot while diversifying the vice-captain lane between a Birmingham all-rounder and a Birmingham top-order opener — a useful structure if you believe Sunrisers Leeds will win but want to back a Birmingham differential in the VC slot.
Why Marsh is the higher-ceiling captain pick
Mitchell Marsh is the higher-ceiling Team 2 captain option. His boundary-hitting strike rate against pace is among the strongest in the Sunrisers Leeds top order, and on a Headingley surface where the first-innings average sits in the 190-200 band, his ceiling is the kind of match-defining cameo that wins grand-league contests. Marsh's ownership will be lower than Rickelton in the consensus captain slot, which is the differential benefit. The risk: Marsh's T20 form has been streaky, and his dismissal mode is often the same — caught on the boundary against a spinner who drops his length. Treat Marsh captain as a calculated ceiling bet, not a safe-floor pick.
Why Dan Lawrence is the safe Team 2 captain
Dan Lawrence offers a steadier captaincy profile at four or five in the Sunrisers Leeds order. Lawrence is the kind of batter who accumulates 30-40 with a healthy strike rate rather than relying on boundary volume, which makes him a safer captain pick in low-scoring scenarios — if the Headingley surface flattens and wickets cluster in the middle five-ball sets, Lawrence's accumulation style survives the conditions better than Crawley's boundary-heavy profile. Pick Lawrence as Team 2 captain if you want a Sunrisers stack with a lower-variance captaincy lane.
Why Rehan Ahmed is the vice-captain differential
Rehan Ahmed is the first-choice Team 2 vice-captain pick and the cleanest Birmingham Phoenix differential in the fantasy side. He contributes as a leg-spinning all-rounder in the Birmingham Phoenix order — bat at five or six, bowl in the middle five-ball sets. On a Headingley deck where wickets can come from spin if the surface slows in the second half of the innings, Ahmed's wicket-taking ceiling rises. Pair Ahmed as vice-captain with Marsh as captain and you have a captain-VC combo that splits across both sides without doubling on a single team's batting order. The risk is straightforward: if Birmingham Phoenix are bowled out cheaply, Ahmed's batting points never come and his bowling has to carry the vice-captaincy alone.
Birmingham Phoenix and Sunrisers Leeds — predicted playing XIs for Match 24
The published predicted XIs are the foundation for every Dream11 combination above. Verify the final XI sheet at the toss before locking the team — any swap (particularly in the Sunrisers top order or the Birmingham bowling unit) reshuffles the captaincy shortlist.
Predicted Birmingham Phoenix XI
Will Smeed, Mitchell Owen, Joe Clarke (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Laurie Evans, Donovan Ferreira (c), Sean Dickson, Ben Dwarshuis, Chris Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Usman Tariq. Captain Donovan Ferreira leads the side; Joe Clarke keeps wicket; the bowling unit pairs left-arm pace (Dwarshuis) with right-arm pace (Wood, Mahmood) and a leg-spin option (Usman Tariq). Mitchell Owen is the bowling all-rounder; Rehan Ahmed is the spinning all-rounder. Watch for any late swap in the top three — Smeed, Owen, Clarke is the consensus top order.
Predicted Sunrisers Leeds XI
Mitchell Marsh, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Zak Crawley (c), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Revis, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Nathan Ellis, Reece Topley, Abrar Ahmed. Captain Zak Crawley leads the side; Ryan Rickelton keeps wicket and opens the batting. The middle order stacks Harry Brook at four and Dan Lawrence at five — the strongest batting depth in the Hundred Men's 2026. The bowling unit pairs Matthew Potts, Nathan Ellis and Reece Topley as the pace options, with Abrar Ahmed as the wrist-spinner. Brydon Carse is the seam-bowling all-rounder.
What the head-to-head and last-round numbers tell us about Match 24 captaincy
Across five all-time meetings, Birmingham Phoenix have won two, Sunrisers Leeds three — a head-to-head that leans Sunrisers but is not exclusive. The current form book is the louder signal: Sunrisers Leeds are coming off the 241-posting win over London Spirit, the highest total of the season, with their top order firing. Birmingham Phoenix's one win came earlier in the season and has not been replicated since; their bowling unit is struggling to contain the new ball and the middle five-ball sets have been the most expensive phase for them. For fantasy construction, the form book supports Sunrisers captain and vice-captain selections, but the head-to-head record warns that the Birmingham Phoenix keeper-batter slot (Joe Clarke) is worth more than the standings suggest.
Reading the 241-posting context into fantasy picks
The 241 posted by Sunrisers Leeds against London Spirit is the loudest form signal available. It tells you that the Sunrisers top three (Marsh, Rickelton, Crawley) are in the kind of form that turns a 150-par total into a 200+ total on a batting-friendly deck — exactly the Headingley scenario for Match 24. Fantasy implication: Sunrisers top-order captaincy is the safer floor, and a Sunrisers captain-VC double-up (Rickelton captain, Marsh vice-captain, for example) compounds that form signal. But the 241 also tells you the opposition (London Spirit) were unable to apply scoreboard pressure with the ball — which Birmingham Phoenix might be able to do if their pace unit finds early swing. Watch the first five-ball set before committing to a Sunrisers-heavy team.
How the BPH 1-from-5 record shapes the captain debate
Birmingham Phoenix's 1-from-5 record is the cleanest indicator that they are the form underdogs. Fantasy implication: their ownership will be lower than Sunrisers Leeds in every slot, which makes any Birmingham Phoenix selection a differential pick. Joe Clarke and Mitch Owen as vice-captain picks are the cleanest differentials — both will be selected by a much smaller share of fantasy teams than the Sunrisers captain options, but both have paths to 50+ fantasy points on a Headingley deck. Treat any Birmingham Phoenix captain pick as a high-risk grand-league punt; treat Birmingham Phoenix vice-captain picks as calculated differentials.
Questions Dream11 players are asking about BPH vs SUL Match 24
Common fantasy questions about the Birmingham Phoenix vs Sunrisers Leeds fixture — answered with the verified facts from the Khel Now Dream11 preview dated 7 August 2026.
Who is the first-choice Dream11 captain pick for BPH vs SUL?
Who is the first-choice vice-captain pick?
What is the recommended Dream11 team combination?
What is the Headingley pitch report for Match 24?
What is the weather forecast for Leeds on 7 August?
What is the head-to-head record between the two sides?
What time does the match start in IST?
Which side is favoured to win Match 24?
Methodology
How this BPH vs SUL Dream11 prediction was built
Source verification
The captain and vice-captain picks, predicted XIs, head-to-head record, weather forecast and team combination above are drawn from the Khel Now Dream11 preview published 7 August 2026 at 08:03 IST. No scores, statistics or quotations beyond those confirmed in the source preview have been included. The preview URL is referenced in the published article record at the T20Sports Fantasy newsroom and the source publication's coverage of Match 24.
Editorial confidence
Confidence in the captain picks is rated by contest type. Small-league confidence in Ryan Rickelton is high based on his role as Sunrisers Leeds' top-order wicket-keeper on a Headingley deck averaging 190-200. Grand-league confidence in Zak Crawley is medium-high based on his boundary-hitting strike rate and second-choice captain slot. Vice-captain confidence in Joe Clarke is medium-high based on his role as the only Birmingham Phoenix keeper-batter with realistic 50+ fantasy upside. Confidence in the 2-3-2-4 combination is medium pending toss and confirmed XI.
Risk disclosure
Dream11 captain picks are not guaranteed winners. Player form, weather, toss decisions and last-minute XI changes can all move outcomes. The Hundred Men's 2026 is treated as a game of skill in most Indian jurisdictions, but fantasy play is restricted in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Sikkim — players in those states should review the state-wise legal page before joining contests. Always play within budget and review the responsible-play guidelines. For more on how this slate fits the broader captaincy strategy used across the season, see the T20 captain picks strategy.
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Toss, confirmed XI and the one captaincy move to make before 11:00 PM IST
Two pieces of information will arrive before the first ball is bowled at Headingley tonight, and they will reshape any Dream11 team built from the picks above. First, the toss — with no significant dew forecast for the Leeds evening, the chase advantage is smaller than at subcontinental venues, but the captain who bowls first still gets the scoreboard-pressure edge on a Headingley deck averaging 190-200. If Zak Crawley wins the toss and bowls, Sunrisers captain picks hold their value and Joe Clarke as vice-captain strengthens further; if Donovan Ferreira wins and bowls, Mitch Owen as second-choice vice-captain climbs the board because Birmingham Phoenix's bowling unit becomes the value lane. Second, the confirmed playing XI sheet — published roughly an hour before the toss — will confirm whether Sean Dickson and Usman Tariq come into the Birmingham Phoenix XI as expected, and whether Abrar Ahmed slots in as the Sunrisers wrist-spinner; any late swap in the Sunrisers top three is the cue to swap the corresponding captain slot in your team. One captaincy move: re-rank Ryan Rickelton and Zak Crawley the moment the toss is read out, lock the side at the toss + XI confirmation window, and avoid editing the team mid-innings. The full editorial desk file for the Hundred Men's 2026 Match 24 will continue rolling on the T20Sports Fantasy newsroom from first ball onwards.