Welsh Fire began their 2026 Hundred campaign with a six-wicket victory over Southern Brave in Southampton, with captain Phil Salt guiding his side to the target with an unbeaten innings. Salt, who signed as Fire's captain this season, is The Hundred's all-time leading run-scorer and is looking to lead the Welsh franchise to its first-ever title after they finished bottom of both the men's and women's tables last year.

Chasing 136, Fire lost early momentum but Matt Short's brisk 20 and partnerships involving Joe Root and Rachin Ravindra kept them on track, before Salt sealed victory with a six, finishing on 47 not out from 37 balls. Brave had earlier posted 135-7 after losing both openers cheaply, rescued by an 18-year-old Thomas Rew's 41 and David Miller's late 44, but Fire's bowlers, led by Marco Jansen's 2-17, kept a lid on the scoring throughout.