Wellington Firebirds vs Central Stags, FT 2025-26, Today Match Prediction

WELL vs CD Match Prediction & Analysis

We are in the second leg of The Ford Trophy 2025-26. It will be an important contest in the tournament, as the Wellington Firebirds take on the Central Stags in the 18th match. Both teams ended their last leg with losses. The Wellington Firebirds lost against the Auckland Aces, while the Central Stags went down against the Canterbury Kings.  

The Central Stags have had the upper hand against the Wellington Firebirds in the last few games. They defeated them earlier in the season by a big margin. The team will look to repeat the same magic in this game. The Firebirds have struggled with the bat in the last few games, and it will be interesting to see how they perform here. 

RECENT PERFORMANCE

WELL

W W L L L

CANT

136/8 in 16.0 8.5

SST20 2025-26

Wellington Firebirds won by 13 runs (D/L) method 23 Jan 2026

WELL

178/5 in 20.0 8.9

WELL

193/6 in 20.0 9.65

SST20 2025-26

Wellington Firebirds won by 88 runs 19 Jan 2026

CANT

105/10 in 16.2 6.43

OV

136/5 in 15.5 8.59

SST20 2025-26

Otago Volts beat Wellington Firebirds by 5 wickets 15 Jan 2026

WELL

132/7 in 16.0 8.25

WELL

185/7 in 20.0 9.25

SST20 2025-26

Northern Knights won by 6 wkts 11 Jan 2026

ND

189/4 in 16.2 11.57

WELL

150/7 in 20.0 7.5

SST20 2025-26

Otago Volts won by 6 wickets 09 Jan 2026

OV

152/4 in 19.1 7.93

CD

L W W L W

AUCK

219/5 in 19.0 11.53

SST20 2025-26

Auckland Aces won by 8 runs (DLS Method) 26 Jan 2026

CD

210/4 in 19.0 11.05

CD

134/4 in 19.3 6.87

SST20 2025-26

Central Stags beat Otago Volts by 6 wickets 24 Jan 2026

OV

133/10 in 18.0 7.39

CD

142/7 in 20.0 7.1

SST20 2025-26

Central Stags won by 10 runs 16 Jan 2026

AUCK

132/8 in 20.0 6.6

CD

146/5 in 20.0 7.3

SST20 2025-26

Northern Brave beat Central Stags by 6 wickets (D/L) method 13 Jan 2026

ND

120/4 in 13.5 8.67

WELL

195/7 in 20.0 9.75

SST20 2025-26

Central Stags beat Wellington Firebirds by 2 runs 07 Jan 2026

CD

197/3 in 20.0 9.85

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Wellington Firebirds Preview

Nick Kelly and his team have had their ups and downs in the tournament. They lost the last game against the Auckland Aces by 54 runs. As the team resumes its campaign in this leg they will look to use the home advantage. They lost against the Central Stags earlier in the season, and Kelly would like the batting unit to deliver a strong show.  

Jesse Tashkoff and Callum McLachlan must put up a big partnership at the top as the Stags have a strong new-ball attack. Nick Kelly is the backbone of this lineup, and the team expects him to build partnerships with Gareth Severin and Sam Mycock. Tom Blundell is an experienced batter and will look to add quick runs alongside Nick Greenwood.  

The bowlers haven't been consistent. Liam Dudding and James Hartshorn will look to strike early and put the team in a strong position. Nick Greenwood and Michael Snedden must keep the scoring in check in the middle overs. Jesse Tashkoff and Peter Younghusband will look to bowl tight spells in the supporting roles.

Wellington Firebirds Predicted Playing XI:

Nick Kelly (c), Jesse Tashkoff, Callum McLachlan, Gareth Severin, Sam Mycock, Tom Blundell (wk), Nick Greenwood, Peter Younghusband, Michael Snedden, James Hartshorn, Liam Dudding

Wellington Firebirds Actual Playing XI:

Muhammad Arslan Abbas, Tom Blundell, Liam Dudding, Nick Greenwood, James Hartshorn, Oscar Jackson, Nick Kelly, Jesse Tashkoff, Peter Younghusband, Nathan Smith, Tim Robinson

Central Stags Preview

Jayden Lennox and his team didn't end the last leg as they'd hoped. They suffered a crushing defeat in the last game against the Canterbury Kings, going down by 8 wickets. Both the bowlers and the batters had a poor outing. Lennox and his men would like to make a strong comeback in this game.  

Will Young and Brad Schmulian form a strong opening pair, and the team expects them to deliver a solid start. Tom Bruce has been in good form, and they will look to build partnerships in the middle order with Dean Foxcroft and Dane Cleaver. Josh Clarkson and William Clark will look to add quick runs in the lower middle order.  

The bowling attack went for runs in the last game. The team expects early strikes in this game from Josh Clarkson and Raymond Toole. Jayden Lennox will look to lead from the front and deliver a strong show in the middle overs with Blair Tickner. Ajaz Patel and Dean Foxcroft add depth to the attack.

Central Stags Predicted Playing XI:

Jayden Lennox (c), Brad Schmulian, Will Young, Dean Foxcroft, Tom Bruce, Dane Cleaver (wk), Josh Clarkson, William Clark, Ajaz Patel, Blair Tickner, Raymond Toole

Central Stags Actual Playing XI:

Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Joey Field, Dean Foxcroft, Curtis Heaphy, Jayden Lennox, Brett Randell, Angus Schaw, Brad Schmulian, Raymond Toole, Will Young

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The skies over Wellington will be clear, but batting conditions will be challenging due to the recent rain and moisture on the surface. We expect to see a lot of movement on the surface, and fast bowlers would enjoy bowling on this surface. The side batting first would be happy with a score of 280 runs on this wicket.

WELL vs CD Pitch Report

The pitch at Basin Reserve, Wellington, offers early assistance to the fast bowlers, but it is undoubtedly one of the best surfaces to bat on. This ground's dimensions are larger than those of others in New Zealand. Batsmen have to rely on ones and twos to score big here. Spinners have also done well at this venue in the past.

Toss: To Bowl

As we have seen in the past, there is assistance for the bowlers early in the game. In the last four games, the team chasing the score has won three times. The side winning the toss here wouldn't have much hesitation in terms of opting to bowl first.