Despite claiming a narrow two-run victory over bottom-placed Birmingham Phoenix, defending champions MI London were knocked out of playoff contention after failing to secure the 59-run winning margin needed to boost their net run rate. The result confirmed Sunrisers Leeds' place in Friday's Eliminator against Manchester Super Giants. Required Qualification Equation: Batting first after Phoenix won the toss, MI London posted 157/6, meaning they needed to restrict Phoenix to 98 runs or fewer to surpass Sunrisers Leeds on net run-rate. Early Wicket Surge: Richard Gleeson (2/29) became the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps after removing Mitchell Owen and Laurie Evans off back-to-back deliveries, reducing Phoenix to three quick powerplay wickets. Party Pooper Partnership: A steadying middle-order stand between Joe Weatherley (42 off 31) and Sean Dickson (23 off 17) carried Phoenix past the 99-run threshold on a Tom Curran wide, officially ending MI London's playoff hopes. Late Heroics & Tight Finish: Jordan Thompson (23* off 13) and Rehan Ahmed (23 off 11) brought Phoenix within striking distance, but Trent Boult executed precise death-over yorkers to hold on for a consolation win. "To win five games and not qualify when two teams have done the same as us is disappointing, but that shows the strength of the competition and you've got to be on top of your game all the way through - 30, 40, 50 runs can make a big difference." Key Middle-Order Wickets: Jordan Thompson took the crucial wicket of Nicholas Pooran (36 off 21) as he holed out to long-off, while Jason Roy (26 off 21) fell to Rehan Ahmed as his second victim. Rehan's Unused Quota: Despite boasting stellar figures of 2 for 7 from 15 deliveries, leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed was curiously not brought back to complete his remaining quota of balls. Useful Cameos: Sikandar Raza (17 off 13), debutant Ollie Sykes (23* off 14), and Tom Curran (17* off 9) added useful late runs, but MI London's 157/6 proved insufficient for the massive net run-rate victory required. Eliminator Locked In: With defending champions MI London knocked out, Sunrisers Leeds advance to Friday's Eliminator against Manchester Super Giants at the Kia Oval, with the winner facing Trent Rockets in the Lord's final. Match Hero Reaction: Meerkat Match Hero Richard Gleeson noted that winning five matches and still failing to qualify was disappointing, but reflected that "30, 40, 50 runs can make a big difference" in such a tight competition.