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The Men's Hundred 2024 is about to conclude. The league round is in its final phase now, with 23 out of the 32 matches done and dusted. Unlike the IPL and other T20 leagues, only three teams will progress to the knockouts in Men's Hundred 2024.
The tabletopper in the points table after the league round will earn a direct entry into the final. Before the final, the second and third-placed teams will take on each other in the Eliminator on August 17 at The Oval.
London Spirit and Manchester Originals have won just a single game in the tournament so far. Even if they win their remaining fixtures, both teams are unlikely to progress to the next round. However, the other six teams are alive in the race to the knockouts, and here are our predictions for the top three sides of Men's Hundred 2024.
#1 Oval Invincibles may directly qualify for Men's Hundred 2024
As mentioned earlier, the tabletopper will directly enter the final, and at the moment, it looks like the first finalist will be Oval Invincibles. The Invincibles have almost been invincible in the league round thus far, registering five wins in six matches.
Their only defeat came in the encounter against Northern Superchargers on August 2, where the Superchargers won by 19 runs. Apart from that, the Invincibles have registered wins against Southern Brave, Manchester Originals, Welsh Fire, London Spirit, and Birmingham Phoenix.
Sam Curran has been the standout performer for the Oval Invincibles, scoring 176 runs in five innings at an average of 44. In the bowling unit, Sam has scalped 13 wickets in six innings. The fact that Sam is the top wicket-taker and the third-highest run-scorer of Men's Hundred 2024 shows how much he has contributed to the team's success. If he continues in the same vein, Oval may end up as champions.
#2 Southern Brave
Southern Brave stand second in the Men's Hundred 2024 points table with eight points from six matches. They have recorded four wins and two defeats thus far, with the losses coming against tabletoppers Oval Invincibles and third-placed Northern Superchargers.
Brave's next two matches are against Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire. Considering that Brave crushed Fire in their previous meeting, they should record another big win and punch their ticket to the knockout stage soon.
#3 Northern Superchargers
Northern Superchargers have been the only team to defeat both Oval Invincibles and Southern Brave in Men's Hundred 2024. The Superchargers are third in the points table with seven points from six matches. Surprisingly, they lost against lower-ranked Birmingham Phoenix and Trent Rockets, while their match against Welsh Fire produced no result.
The Superchargers will play against the bottom two teams, namely London Spirit and Manchester Originals in their remaining games. Since Spirit and Originals have been quite ordinary in the competition so far, the Superchargers should breeze past them and secure the third spot in the knockout round.
All eyes will be on big-hitter Nicholas Pooran, who has been the top-scorer for the team. Pooran has amassed 161 runs in six innings, recording two half-centuries.
