Welsh Fire vs Southern Brave Prediction: Take 9/2 on TKC to fire at Cardiff

These two teams head into Wednesday's early game off the back of heavy defeats to the Oval Invincibles and we are now very much into much-win territory for both.  

Dan Thomas brings us his best bets for the match, live on Sky Sports from 15:00, as he brings us his Welsh Fire vs Southern Brave predictions… 

*You can check out all of our Cricket Odds over at betfred.com

Fire struggles continue 

Welsh Fire were comprehensively beaten by Oval Invincibles on Saturday, bowled out for 143 in reply to a record 226.  

As has been the case for much of the campaign, Jonny Bairstow was the only one who really stood up to the fight, scoring a half-century. Big-money signing Steve Smith only managed 7, another under-par performance from the Australian.  

With only one win on the board all tournament, Fire’s target is probably avoiding the wooden spoon; they are bottom of the table and four points behind fellow perennial strugglers London Spirit (although with a game in hand). 

Brave in a spiral 

Brave endured their third straight defeat on Monday, falling to another ruthless performance from the Invincibles, who chased 134 with ease, winning by seven wickets with 11 balls to spare. 

Their top order spluttered, with James Vince falling for 7, and a three-wicket burst in one set from Rashid Khan left them reeling at 44 for 6. It was only due to Hilton Cartwright’s counterpunching 42 that Brave even crept to 133.  

Brave’s bowling attack featured bright spots; Jofra Archer and Craig Overton delivered quick and disciplined spells, but they were left unsupported as the remaining seamers leaked heavily. They missed the nous and craft of the injured Chris Jordan.  

Pitch & Conditions 

Sophia Gardens has been a low-scoring ground in the Hundred over the years, with an average first innings score of just 125, but it’s been a bit more batter-friendly in 2025, with both sides hitting over 150 in the opening match. The forecast for Wednesday shows a breezy start easing into sunny spells by afternoon, with temperatures around 23c. 

Key odds 

Fire are understandably the 11/10 outsiders here - they are bottom of the league and have yet to show any consistency of performance. But 8/11 on a Brave side on a run of three defeats in a row looks a touch short. They appear to be over-reliant on James Vince - if he doesn't fire, nor do the Brave.  

Bairstow somehow remains longer odds than Smith to top score for the hosts despite the Aussie's struggles. Tom Kohler-Cadmore looked in decent nick at the Oval - he's 9/2 in the market. Vince remains 13/5 favourite for Brave, while Cartwright is 9/1 to repeat his efforts against the Invincibles.  

*You can check out all the latest and live Welsh Fire vs Southern Brave Odds over on betfred.com

Best Bets 

With the two teams struggling for form, it's a tough game to call so we will swerve the match odds market. With Bairstow leading the way for Fire and Vince struggling to get going, we'll take the 5/6 on the hosts to have the Highest Opening Partnership as our main selection. 

And we'll add a small stakes bet on Kohler-Cadmore to top score for Fire - he scored 31 off 16 in south London on Saturday and looks a touch overpriced.

Dan Thomas 2025 Cricket P/L:

• Staked: 26pts 
• Returned: 14.46pts 
• P/L: -11.34pts