Northamptonshire vs Gloucestershire Prediction & Preview – T20 Blast QF 2

Northamptonshire face Gloucestershire at the County Ground in the second quarter-final of the T20 Blast 2026. The hosts finished top of the Central Group with nine wins from 12 matches, while Gloucestershire took third place with seven wins and five defeats.

Chris Lynn has been the standout batter of the group stage, with 438 runs in nine innings at 54.75 and a strike rate of 180.99, including centuries of 115 against Warwickshire and 117 against Glamorgan. David Willey has made 329 runs at a strike rate of 168.72, while Ricardo Vasconcelos (292) and Nathan McSweeney (239) add depth. James Sales leads the bowlers with 20 wickets, including 5 for 21 against Gloucestershire, and Calvin Harrison has 18.

Gloucestershire’s top performer is D’Arcy Short, who has 394 runs at 39.40 and a strike rate of 156.35, plus eight wickets. Jack Taylor, Miles Hammond and Kamran Dhariwal have each passed 200 runs. Without Duan Jansen, Marchant de Lange (12 wickets) and Matt Taylor (10) carry the attack.

Having lost both league meetings to Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire have work to do. Our preview goes with the home side, with batting first the preferred option on a hot, dry afternoon.

Probable playing XI

Pitch report

The County Ground at Wantage Road generally gives a balanced surface. Seamers can find movement and bounce early, especially under cloud, making the powerplay testing, before the pitch eases and set batters can score more freely. Spinners may help in the middle overs without big turn, so accuracy matters. A par T20 score is around 165–180, and 175-plus is usually a good total when batting first.

Weather

The 5:00 pm start is forecast to be hot and sunny at around 30°C, with clear skies and very little chance of rain. A light breeze should only help the seamers slightly, and the dry conditions favour batting.

Expected scores

• 1st innings: 170–185
• 2nd innings: 160–175

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