NS vs OI, Preview | Oval Invincibles look to secure third consecutive playoff qualification at Headingley

The defending champions will be hoping to avenge their last season’s home defeat and secure their spot in the playoffs for a third time in a row.‌The league stage of the Hundred Men’s is currently at the business end, with two games left for each team in the tournament.  The first game of the Saturday doubleheader will be played between the Northern Superchargers and the Oval Invincibles. Though the Invincibles are currently the most successful team in the tournament, and the Superchargers are considered one of the underdogs in the competition, the Superchargers have still been one of the most challenging teams for the Invincibles. In fact, despite being the winners in the 2024 edition, the Invincibles faced a disappointing loss against the Northerners in their home ground.  With the upcoming game happening on the Chargers’ turf, at Leeds, this will be the perfect opportunity for them to finally avenge last year’s defeat at the Oval. The loss also led to the two-time champions losing their lead against the Boys in Purple in the league

While the Harry Brook-led side might have got the better of the Invincibles in the previous season and are currently undefeated at home this year, they will still be the side who will be under enormous pressure. Though their dominant win against the London Spirit might have helped them jump to the third spot on the points table with four wins and two losses to their name, they will still have to battle hard in these last two games to ensure their maiden playoff qualification in the tournament

On the other hand, the Oval franchise are just one win away from officially claiming a spot in the top three for the third consecutive time in the Hundred, having won five out of their six game and are currently leading the points table. The Sam Billings-led side will be high on confidence, especially after their masterclass chase against the Trent Rockets on the back of some brilliant batting from Sam Curran and Jordan Cox. They will be hoping to keep their dominance alive in the upcoming game as well.

Form Guide

Northern Superchargers’ recent form has been decent having lost only two games in their last five encounters and losing only two.

While the Northerners have had a fairly good run, the Invincibles have been in great nick as well, having only lost one game out of their last five encounters

Northern Superchargers:  W L W W L

Oval Invincibles:  W W W L W

Northern Superchargers vs Oval Invincibles Head-to-Head in The Hundred

The Invincibles and the Superchargers’ head-to-head record is tied, with both teams winning two games each in the last four encounters

Northern Superchargers 2-2 Oval Invincibles

Pitch and Weather

The surface at Headingley is great for batting, and though the bowlers manage to get some seam movement and bounce from the surface, the batters have enjoyed scoring runs on this wicket as well. Looking last few games played at this venue, while scores under 150  have been easily chased down, and scores scores above that range have been a challenge for the teams. In the last six games played at this ground in the tournament, the team defending hold the majority over the team chasing a total.

It is expected to be a cool and breezy day in Leeds with the temperature at 21 degrees Celsius. The weather will most likely be cloudy, but there is a very low chance of rain.

Team News

The two teams are not expected to make any changes to their lineup after their incredible win in the last fixture

Northern Superchargers Probable XI: Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Michael-Kyle Pepper(wk), Harry Brook(c), Dan Lawrence, David Miller, Mitchell Santner, Tom Lawes, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Jacob Duffy.

Oval Invincibles Probable XI: Will Jacks, Tawanda Muyeye, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Sam Billings(c/wk), Donovan Ferreira, Tom Curran, Rashid Khan, Nathan Sowter, Saqib Mahmood, Jason Behrendorff.

Broadcasting Platforms

The 25th game between the Northern Superchargers and the Oval Invincibles will be digitally streamed on Sonyliv and the Fancode app/website. The TV viewers can catch the action on the Sony Sports Network.