Queensland vs Victoria, AUS ODI CUP, 2026-27, Today Match Prediction

QSL vs VAC Match Prediction & Analysis

Neither of these two teams has won the title in the last two seasons. Victoria, the finalists in the 2024-25 season, finished last year at the bottom with 2 wins from 7 matches. Queensland finished 3rd in the points table, missing out on the final berth by just one point.

The two teams met twice last year. QDL beat Victoria in Brisbane in the first encounter, and Victoria then settled the scores with a 7-wicket win at the MCG.

It was a very different-looking bowling attack in their second head-to-head game, with Todd Murphy, Cameron McClure, and Austin Anlezark delivering match-winning spells. McClure was exceptional with the ball in both of these encounters against Queensland.

Queensland have a great record at home, winning 71% of their games over the last two editions of the Australia Domestic One-Day Cup. They will back themselves to make it 2-0 against Victoria on this ground as they gear up to kick off their campaign at home.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Queensland Preview

Queensland will be looking to make a strong statement in their opening match. Not only have they beaten Victoria at this venue before, but they also have a strong record at home in previous seasons.

Jimmy Pierson and skipper Marnus Labuschagne are the key players in the batting lineup. The two hold the key to a good start in the top order. The captain must play an anchoring role at number 3, while either Pierson or Jack Clayton needs to stay longer at the crease to strike a partnership with Labuschagne and the number 4 to follow.

The middle order looks promising with Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw at 3 and 4. They must build strong partnerships to put the hosts on track to a big total. Though Queensland scored 300+ batting first in their previous outing against Victoria at this venue, most of their batters in the top 4 failed to get going.

Only Labuschagne stood out with a big hundred, while the rest couldn’t even get to the 30-run mark. Bowling all-rounders Hugh Weibgen and Jack Wildermuth are others to watch out for in this batting order. They add strength to the lower order and have delivered impactful performances last year.

Batting depth will be Queensland’s biggest strength going into this match, while they also have a varied bowling attack. Gurinder Sandhu, Michael Neser, and Wildermuth are key pacers in this squad. In the spin-bowling department, Mitchell Swepson has stepped up and delivered key breakthroughs when the pacers failed.

Interesting Stats

Mitchell Swepson was the second-highest wicket-taker of the season last year with 15 wickets in 7 innings

Marnus Labuschagne was the second-highest run-scorer with 468 runs in 6 outings at an average of 78

Neser and Wildermuth picked a 3-fer each against Victoria at this venue while Labuschagne scored 130 batting first

Queensland Predicted Playing XI:

Jimmy Peirson (wk), Matt Renshaw, Jack Clayton, Marnus Labuschagne (c), Lachlan Hearne, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth, Michael Neser, Gurinder Sandhu, Mitchell Swepson, Tom Straker

Victoria Preview

Victoria won just two of their 7 matches last year, one of which came against Queensland at the MCG. The right-arm off-break bowler Todd Murphy delivered a match-winning spell, bowling out the opposition for 215.

And the other win came against New South Wales while defending a 183-run total at Junction Oval in Melbourne. Batting will be a major concern for Victoria and an area that needs improvement. They could not score 300 runs even once last season, and skipper Will Sutherland will be hoping to change that in the opening match here in Brisbane.

Sam Harper and Thomas Rogers are promising opening batters in the lineup while Peter Handscomb is a reliable number 4. All-rounder Campbell Kellaway also delivered a few handy knocks but wasn’t consistent last season.

These top 4 batters will decide what kind of start Victoria gets off to in the 2026-27 edition of the tournament. Another experienced batter in the squad is Matthew Short. Whether all of these batters will play in the XI for this game isn’t a certainty.

Nevertheless, if they get all of them in the side, Short will certainly be a reliable batter in the lower middle order, coming in at 5 or 6, followed by all-rounder Will Sutherland. In addition to Sutherland and Todd Murphy, other wicket-taking options in this squad include Cameron McClure and Austin Anlezark.

Interesting Stats

Murphy and McClure picked up 7 wickets last season while Kellaway finished with 5 scalps

Peter Handscomb scored 271 runs in 7 innings that included 3 fifties

Sam Harper ranked 7th in the top run-scorers’ list with 281 runs and 3 half-centuries

Victoria Predicted Playing XI:

Harry Dixon, Campbell Kellaway, Thomas Fraser Rogers, Peter Handscomb, Oliver Peake, Sam Harper (wk), Sam Elliott, Will Sutherland (c), Austin Anlezark, Todd Murphy, Cameron McClure

Weather Conditions

It will be a clear, sunny day in Brisbane, with a high of 31 degrees Celsius around the time the game starts. The temperature will drop below 20 degrees Celsius at night, with humidity going up to 55%. There are no signs of cloud or rain, and we don’t expect any weather interruptions during the match. There is no particular help for the bowlers from the weather conditions.

QSL vs VAC Pitch Report

It is a great wicket for batting at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane, where the team batting first scored 300+ runs in 3 of the 4 matches played last season. In two of these games, both teams crossed the 300-run mark. 311 and 321 were successfully chased down. And as such, in this match, the team batting first must aim for something over 340 runs to be in a winning position.

Toss: To Bat

Both teams have a strong bowling attack capable of defending a total at this venue. Last year, Victoria outplayed the QLD batting lineup in their second encounter, while Queensland got through Victoria’s top order fairly quickly in their home game. Moreover, teams batting first have won 3 of the last 5 one-day domestic matches played on this ground. As such, batting first and having runs on the board will be the way to go.