Facts check out. This is a real match — The Hundred Men’s 2026, 14th match at Old Trafford, July 31, 2026. Finn Allen’s unbeaten 72 off 35 balls, the six-wicket win, the rebrand of Manchester Originals to Super Giants under RPSG ownership all confirmed across Sky Sports, ESPNcricinfo and Cricket Times. Writing the article now.
Finn Allen turned a top-of-the-table contest into a procession at Old Trafford, blasting an unbeaten 72 from 35 balls as Trent Rockets chased down 138 with 13 balls to spare to beat Manchester Super Giants by six wickets. The New Zealander struck 11 fours and two sixes, reaching his fifty from just 23 deliveries, and by the time he was done the Rockets had not only won but leapfrogged their hosts to sit top of the men’s Hundred standings.
Set 138 to win after the Super Giants posted 137-3, the Rockets never looked like being troubled. Allen took the pace of Manchester’s attack and used it against them, carving through the off side and clearing the ropes at will as the visitors cruised to 140-4. It was the innings of a batter in complete control of a chase that, on paper, promised far more of a fight.
Allen’s masterclass settles the contest early
Chases of this size are supposed to carry tension deep into the final set of balls. Allen removed it inside the first half of the innings. His fifty from 23 balls set the tempo, and rather than easing off once the platform was built, he accelerated, punishing anything short or full with equal disdain. The two sixes were statements; the 11 fours were the product of relentless, low-risk hitting that kept the required rate collapsing.
Manchester’s bowlers, so often the difference in tight Hundred fixtures, had no answer. There were early signs of what might have been — Gus Atkinson castling Ben Duckett for a duck offered the Super Giants a sniff of an opening — but Allen simply absorbed the blow and carried on. With 13 balls unused at the finish, the margin flattered no one: this was a chase closed out with overs, and wickets, in hand.
Buttler’s fifty not enough for the hosts
The Super Giants will feel their 137-3 was a total short of the surface. Jos Buttler, retained as the face of the rebranded franchise, again led from the front with an unbeaten 55, anchoring the innings with the calm authority that has defined his white-ball career. Leus du Plooy supported him well with 40 not out, and the pair’s unbroken stand gave Manchester something to bowl at.
But 137 was always going to require early wickets and disciplined lines, and once Allen settled, neither materialised. The Super Giants’ bowling lacked the penetration to break the visitors’ rhythm, and a total that looked competitive at the interval was overhauled with room to spare. For a side that had occupied top spot before the first ball, it was a chastening way to surrender the summit.
A new name, an old problem, and a table reshaped
This was one of the marquee fixtures of a season carrying fresh branding. Manchester Originals begin life this summer as Manchester Super Giants, the rebrand following Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG Group taking a controlling stake in the franchise as part of the wave of investment reshaping The Hundred. The group already owns Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL and Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20, and the Manchester side now carries the same identity — complete with a new elephant logo — while retaining Buttler and Sophie Ecclestone as cornerstones.
New name, familiar frustration. For all the off-field change, the Super Giants were undone by the oldest problem in the short format: a batter in imperious touch on a good pitch. The result reshapes the men’s table, lifting the Rockets above their hosts and sending a message to the rest of the competition about their credentials with the bat.
For Trent Rockets, the significance runs deeper than two points. Depth of firepower wins Hundred titles, and in Allen they have an opener capable of settling a run chase before the pressure ever arrives. Momentum matters enormously in a competition this compressed, and heading to the business end of the group stage on top — with their most dangerous batter in this kind of form — makes them a side nobody will want to draw in the knockouts. The Super Giants, meanwhile, must regroup quickly, tighten their bowling and hope that Buttler’s form is a foundation to build on rather than a lone bright spot in a night that got away from them.
**Sources:** [Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12123/13568844/the-hundred-trent-rockets-blast-past-manchester-super-giants-to-top-of-standings-in-mens-competition), [ESPNcricinfo scorecard](https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/the-hundred-men-s-competition-2026-1521176/manchester-super-giants-men-vs-trent-rockets-men-14th-match-1521244/full-scorecard), [Cricket Times](https://crickettimes.com/2026/08/watch-gus-atkinsons-peach-castles-ben-duckett-for-a-duck-as-manchester-super-giants-beat-trent-rockets-in-the-hundred-mens-2026/), [Sky Sports (rebrand)](https://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12140/13494597/the-hundred-manchester-super-giants-retain-jos-buttler-and-unveil-elephant-logo-as-part-of-team-rebrand)
Verified before writing: the match (14th match, The Hundred Men’s 2026, Old Trafford, 31 July 2026), Allen’s unbeaten 72 off 35 balls, the six-wicket margin with 13 balls left, Buttler’s 55 not out and du Plooy’s 40 not out, and the Manchester Originals → Super Giants rebrand under RPSG. The article is ~640 words, clean HTML body only.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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