Wellington Firebirds vs Northern Brave, SST20 2025-26, Today Match Prediction

WELL vs ND Match Prediction & Analysis

Wellington Firebirds are at the bottom of the points table with just 1 win from 6 matches, while Northern Brave are a place ahead of them with the same number of wins but two more points than the Firebirds.

The hosts will be under pressure after 3 losses at Basin Reserve. In their last match here, they finished with just 150 runs on the board, having scored much higher in their previous outings. Skipper Tom Blundell will be one to watch out for in the top order with opener Tim Robinson.

Rachin Ravindra and Muhammad Abbas in the middle order are other promising batters in the lineup who will be expected to lead the comeback for the Wellington Firebirds. The visitors will be confident after their recent performances, and will back themselves to settle scores with Wellington with a win in this game.

Katene D Clarke and Brett Hampton look promising in the top order, while all-rounders Scott Kuggeleijn and Xavier Bell have been impressive in the lower middle order for Northern Brave. The newfound form will be crucial for the visitors to dominate the struggling hosts.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

WELL

L L W L L

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

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

ND

181/10 in 19.5 9.13

SST20 2025-26

Wellington Firebirds beat Northern Brave by 13 runs 31 Dec 2025

WELL

194/3 in 20.0 9.7

WELL

187/7 in 20.0 9.35

SST20 2025-26

Auckland Aces beat Wellington Firebirds by 5 wickets 29 Dec 2025

AUCK

189/5 in 19.2 9.78

CD

188/7 in 20.0 9.4

SST20 2025-26

Central Stags beat Wellington Firebirds by 46 runs 27 Dec 2025

WELL

142/10 in 17.5 7.96

ND

W L W W L

ND

240/4 in 20.0 12

SST20 2025-26

Northern Brave beat Canterbury Kings by 87 runs 08 Jan 2026

CANT

153/9 in 20.0 7.65

ND

181/10 in 19.5 9.13

SST20 2025-26

Wellington Firebirds beat Northern Brave by 13 runs 31 Dec 2025

WELL

194/3 in 20.0 9.7

ND

571/9 in 157.0 3.64

PS

Northern Brave beat Wellington Firebirds by 28 runs 13 Dec 2025

WELL

0/0 in 0.0 0

ND

346/10 in 106.2 3.25

PS

Northern Brave beat Otago Volts by 113 runs 05 Dec 2025

OV

240/10 in 84.0 2.86

CANT

248/10 in 87.4 2.83

PS

Canterbury Kings beat Northern Brave by 5 wickets

18 Nov 2025

ND

371/5 in 93.1 3.98

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Wellington Firebirds Preview

Wellington Firebirds have a solid overall squad that features a deep batting lineup. Despite some promising big names in the lineup, the batting order has failed to deliver in recent games.

And in the previous outings on this ground, when the batters were quite impressive, the bowlers failed to make any significant impact, allowing the opposition to get away with a big total.

There are some big guns in the top 4, with Tim Robinson and Tom Blundell opening the innings for the side, followed by Rachin Ravindra and Muhammad Abbas in the middle order. Blundell, Robinson, and Abbas have each scored a fifty in recent games.

However, the batters failed to deliver a consolidated effort, and their lone performances couldn’t get them to a winning total. Wicket-keeper batter Callum McLachlan and all-rounder Logan van Beek are also pretty handy in the lower order, and can score quick runs at the death.

Logan van Beek, Peter Younghusband, and Ben Sears are the key bowlers in this squad. There is a good variety in the bowling attack, with Rachin Ravindra also delivering a few tight overs with a breakthrough or two.

Wellington Firebirds Predicted Playing XI:

Tim Robinson, Tom Blundell (c), Rachin Ravindra, Muhammad Abbas, Jesse Tashkoff, Callum McLachlan (wk), Logan van Beek, Peter Younghusband, James Hartshorn, Ben Sears, Yahya Zeb

Wellington Firebirds Actual Playing XI:

Logan van Beek, Jesse Tashkoff, Muhammad Arslan Abbas, Tom Blundell, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Yahya Zeb, Callum McLachlan, Tim Robinson, Peter Younghusband, Michael Snedden

Northern Brave Preview

Northern Brave skipper Ben Pomare will be happy with his team’s performance after the loss to Wellington at Mount Maunganui. They tied their very next game against Otago Volts and followed it up with a win in the last match at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

A 105-run opening partnership between Katene D Clarke and Brett Hampton set them up for a big first innings total. Xavier Bell’s unbeaten 53 off 21 at number 5 helped them finish with 240 runs on the board.

Matthew Fisher, Scott Kuggeleijn, and Josh Brown delivered consistent breakthorughs ensuring the opposition never got on top of the run chase. Tim Pringle and Brett Hampton are also very promising bowling options in this squad.

Pomare will have plenty of options to rotate his bowlers and attack the hosts’ vulnerabilities. If Fisher and Kuggeleijn can find the most prized wickets of Robinson and Blundell early on in the innings, Northern Brave will be on top of the game.

There is depth in Northern Brave’s batting lineup with in-form and promising players in the lower order. Northern Brave look quite promising on the batting front, and we expect them to dominate with the bat in this match.

Northern Brave Predicted Playing XI:

Katene D Clarke, Brett Hampton, Henry Cooper, Xavier Bell, Ben Pomare (c) (wk), Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Pringle, Fergus Lellman, Ollie White, Joshua Brown, Matthew Fisher

Northern Brave Actual Playing XI:

Katene Clarke, Henry Cooper, Matthew Fisher, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Pringle, Mitchell Santner, Ben Pomare, Fergus Lellman, Josh Brown, Xavier Bell

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It will be windy weather in Wellington with a high of 21 degrees Celsius. There are no signs of rain around the match time, and we expect an uninterrupted T20 game between the two sides.

WELL vs ND Pitch Report

It is a balanced wicket that has witnessed both batters and bowlers find help from the surface so far. The first two games were dominated by the batters, with 185+ runs being scored in both innings, while in the last outing here, it took Otago Volts 19.1 Overs to chase down a 151-run target. The average first innings score in the last 3 matches of Super Smash 2025-26 at this venue is 178 runs. The team batting first in this match should aim for something over 190 runs to be in a competitive position.

Toss: To Bowl

Teams bowling first have won 2 of the last 3 matches of the Super Smash 2025-26. Both teams have a strong batting lineup with some big names at crucial positions in the batting order. They should back themselves to chase down a total at this venue. Considering the inconsistencies in the home team's batting order, chasing may not be ideal for them, but if they can restrict the visitors to 160-165 runs, the Firebirds will have a strong chance of winning the match.