Birmingham Phoenix open their 2026 campaign under a cloud. Captain Ben Duckett has been ruled out of the tournament with injury, and Donovan Ferreira steps in to lead a side that failed to get past the league stage last season. They face a Trent Rockets team that looked among the strongest in the competition a year ago.
Phoenix’s batting is built around Joe Clarke, last season’s top scorer for the side with 229 runs, who is likely to open with Will Smeed. Rehan Ahmed has joined the middle order alongside Matthew Montgomery and Mitchell Owen, with Laurie Evans and Jordan Thompson providing finishing power. The bowling has been reshaped: Mustafizur Rahman and Saqib Mahmood take the new ball, while Usman Tariq’s variations and Thompson’s overs are expected to matter through the middle phase.
Trent Rockets lost the 2025 final to Oval Invincibles but beat Phoenix in both of their meetings that year. Sam Billings now captains, succeeding David Willey. Tom Banton scored 257 runs last season, the most for the team, and partners the explosive Finn Allen at the top, with Tim David and Billings holding the middle together. Mohammad Amir and Matt Henry form a fresh new-ball pair, Ben Sanderson covers the middle overs, and Mitchell Santner, Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory add all-round depth. With that record and balance, the Rockets edge it on paper.
