Derbyshire vs Nottinghamshire Preview – T20 Blast 2026 | Statz

28th May 2026

Derbyshire welcome East Midlands rivals Nottinghamshire to the County Ground, Derby on Thursday for a T20 Blast 2026 derby between two winless sides in contrasting positions.

First ball is at 23:00 IST (18:30 BST) on 29 May 2026. Derbyshire sit 8th in the table (P3 W1 L2, 4 pts) with their only win coming most recently against Leicestershire, while Nottinghamshire are rooted in 17th (P2 W0 L2, 0 pts) and yet to get going. For full fixture data, head to the Statz match page.

The Venue – County Ground, Derby

The County Ground is tagged as a batting paradise by Statz – and the numbers back it up. Across 21 T20s here since 2022, the average first-innings score is a whopping 187.3, with a match total average of 348.9. The bat-first win rate is 52%, essentially even.

Pace bowlers go at 9.41 an over here versus 8.48 for spin. The highest total recorded is 243, and the ground has produced four scores of 210+ in those 21 matches. The most recent T20 here saw Durham post 203/8 and Derbyshire fall just short on 197/8 on 22 May 2026 – big runs are the norm at this venue.

Form and Table

Derbyshire (8th – P3 W1 L2, 4 pts)

The 230/5 against Leicestershire was a statement – Martin Andersson smashed 81 in that innings. But two narrow defeats before that (by 1 run and 6 runs) show how fine the margins have been. This is a side capable of big totals at their home ground.

Nottinghamshire (17th – P2 W0 L2, 0 pts)

Two defeats with the bat failing to set competitive totals. 169/9 against Lancashire and 167/7 against Yorkshire are below-par for a side with this much batting talent. The bowling has been leaky too – conceding 208/4 to Lancashire is alarming.

At the top of the table, seven teams share first place on 8 points from two wins each, led by Northamptonshire, Hampshire, Durham, Somerset, Yorkshire, Surrey and Gloucestershire.

Head-to-Head

These two have met 8 times since 2022 (Statz data), and Nottinghamshire lead the record 6-2. That said, the last meeting was a role reversal – Derbyshire won by 46 runs at Trent Bridge on 13 June 2025 (199/5 vs 153/9).

At the County Ground specifically, Derbyshire have won 8 and lost 13 from 22 T20s (1 NR) since 2021, while Nottinghamshire have won 3 of their 4 visits here. The H2H at this venue is split – Derbyshire won by 96 runs here in 2024, but Nottinghamshire have won the other two County Ground meetings since 2022.

Statz Projections

In the batting-first scenario (Derbyshire bat first), Statz projections have Derbyshire at 49.7% and Nottinghamshire at 48.3%, with a 2% chance of a tie/no result.

The projected first-innings total is 210.7 – above even this batting paradise’s average of 187.3, reflecting the firepower in both lineups. The projected match total of 408.1 is huge, sitting well above the venue context average of 366. Expect fireworks.

Competition Season Leaders

Orange Cap – Top Run Scorers (T20 Blast 2026)

  1. Martin Andersson (Derbyshire) – 156 runs (3 inns)
  2. James Rew (Somerset) – 140 runs (2 inns)
  3. Matthew Montgomery (Derbyshire) – 137 runs (3 inns)
  4. Sam Billings (Surrey) – 112 runs (2 inns)
  5. Zak Crawley (Surrey) – 111 runs (2 inns)

Purple Cap – Top Wicket Takers (T20 Blast 2026)

  1. Jack Morley (Derbyshire) – 8 wkts (3 inns)
  2. Duan Jansen (Yorkshire) – 7 wkts (2 inns)
  3. Fazalhaq Farooqi (Kent) – 6 wkts (2 inns)
  4. Martin Andersson (Derbyshire) – 6 wkts (3 inns)
  5. Scott Currie (Essex) – 6 wkts (2 inns)

Derbyshire own the top of both charts early in the tournament. Martin Andersson leads the competition in runs (156 at avg 52, HS 81) and is joint-third in wickets (6 at avg 2 per match). Jack Morley leads the Purple Cap with 8 wickets at avg 2.67 per match, best of 4.

Derbyshire Season Leaders: Martin Andersson (156 runs at avg 52, HS 81) and Jack Morley (8 wkts at avg 2.67, best 4).

Nottinghamshire Season Leaders: George Munsey leads the runs (65 at avg 32.5, HS 37), while Mohammad Ali has 3 wickets (avg 1.5, best 2).

Predicted XIs

Based on the most recent confirmed lineups from Statz.

Derbyshire (based on XI vs Leicestershire, 27 May 2026): Aneurin Donald, Martin Andersson, Caleb Jewell, Wayne Madsen, Matthew Montgomery, Ross Whiteley, Amrit Basra (wk), Nick Potts, Ben Aitchison, Akif Javed, Jack Morley

Nottinghamshire (based on XI vs Lancashire, 25 May 2026): Joe Clarke, George Munsey, Jack Haynes, Freddie McCann, Tom Moores (wk), Benny Howell, George Linde, Joe Pocklington, Farhan Ahmed, Dillon Pennington, Mohammad Ali

Dream11 Tips – Captain and Vice Captain

Based on projected Dream11 points from Statz (in-recent-XI players only, batting-first scenario):

Captain: Jack Morley – 79 projected D11 pts. Derbyshire’s left-arm spinner leads the entire competition wickets chart with 8 wickets from 3 matches and is projected for 1.44 wickets here. The Purple Cap holder is the top fantasy pick.

Vice Captain: Matthew Montgomery – 78.4 projected D11 pts. The Derbyshire batter has 137 runs in 3 innings this season and projects for 25.7 runs at SR 143 plus 0.48 wickets with his part-time bowling.

Also consider:

Key Players

Martin Andersson (Derbyshire) – The competition’s leading run scorer with 156 runs at avg 52, including a devastating 81 against Leicestershire. He also has 6 wickets from 3 matches with his medium pace. His 20+ run hit rate of 66.7% and 30+ run hit rate of 66.7% in the last 5 make him the most complete cricketer in this fixture. At a batting paradise, expect fireworks.

Jack Morley (Derbyshire) – The Purple Cap leader with 8 wickets from 3 innings at a 100% hit rate for 1+ wickets in his last 5 matches. Even at a batting paradise where spin goes at 8.48, Morley has been exceptional. Projected for 1.44 wickets and a strong bet builder candidate.

George Munsey (Nottinghamshire) – Scotland’s big-hitting opener is Nottinghamshire’s leading run scorer this season (65 at avg 32.5). Projected for 34.1 runs at SR 139.3, he is the visitor’s best bet for a fast start in the powerplay at a ground that rewards aggression.

Mohammad Ali (Nottinghamshire) – The seam bowler is projected for 1.66 wickets – the highest of any player in this fixture. With 3 wickets from 2 matches this season and a 77.1 Dream11 projection, he is Nottinghamshire’s key threat with the ball.

Conditions

Clear skies forecast for match time at the County Ground with just 5% cloud cover. Temperature of 22°C, humidity at a dry 35%, and wind of 4.8 m/s. Zero precipitation expected. Outstanding batting conditions with the ball likely to come onto the bat. No weather interruptions to worry about.

Verdict and Betting Angles

Nottinghamshire are favourites across the board – Ladbrokes have them at 1.57 (Derbyshire 2.50), Dafabet at 1.65 (Derbyshire 2.24). The market clearly rates their batting depth despite two losses. Statz projections disagree slightly, making it almost dead level at 49.7% Derbyshire vs 48.3% Nottinghamshire.

Derbyshire have the form advantage – their 230/5 against Leicestershire shows what they can do at home, and they own the top two in the competition run charts (Andersson and Montgomery). Nottinghamshire have more name recognition but have not clicked yet this season.

Pick: Derbyshire at home. The value is with the hosts at 2.50 – Statz sees this as a coin-flip but the market has Derbyshire as clear underdogs. At a batting paradise they have dominated recently, that is generous.

Bet Builder Angles (explore more at the Statz Bet Builder):