Rockets face nervous wait after defeat by Brave

Rockets face nervous wait after defeat by Brave Stubbs and Marcus Stoinis were instrumental in pulling off the chase as they shared a 70‑run stand for the fourth wicket. The Australian all‑rounder Stoinis hit four fours and three sixes to make 46 off 25 balls before he miscued a full toss from Ben Sanderson in the penultimate over and was caught. With eight required from the final five balls, bowled by Lewis Gregory, Stubbs and Nikhil Chaudhary guided Brave across the line. Stubbs sealed the victory by launching Gregory over square leg for six, finishing unbeaten on 52 from 28 balls, having also struck four fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 185.71. Earlier, the Rockets had posted what appeared to be a competitive total, with the top order each contributing useful runs. Mitchell Santner top‑scored with an unbeaten 35 off 23 balls, sharing an unbroken sixth‑wicket partnership of 66 runs with Gregory, who remained 28 not out off 18 deliveries. The wickets were distributed among five bowlers, with Brave captain Chris Jordan curtailing Finn Allen’s aggressive innings at 23 with a superb yorker. It was a sobering experience for 17‑year‑old pace bowler Manny Lumsden; his opening spell went for 19 runs and he was not brought back into the attack.