Leicestershire Foxes and Derbyshire Falcons have both lost their opening two matches of the T20 Blast as they prepare to meet at Grace Road in the North Group on Wednesday evening.
The format for the 2026 tournament may have changed, with three groups of six teams replacing the two groups of nine, but it is the same old story for these two struggling outfits.
Leics finished seventh in the North Group last year, losing seven of their 14 fixtures, while Derbys were bottom of the pile with a record of four wins and 10 defeats.
Leicestershire Foxes v Derbyshire Falcons Tips Summary
Best Bet - Derbyshire to win @ 10/11
Alternative Bet - Jack Morley over 1.5 wickets @ 7/4
Bet Builder - Nick Kelly 30+ runs, Matthew Montgomery 3+ fours & Ross Whiteley 1+ six @ 17/2
Leicestershire Foxes v Derbyshire Falcons Prediction
Best Bet: Derbyshire to win @ 10/11
Leicestershire made some solid additions to their squad for the T20 Blast, bringing in the likes of Ashton Turner, Nick Kelly, Ajaz Patel, Ben Green, Josh Davey and Stephen Eskinazi, and there was optimism they could challenge for a fourth title.
However, it has not quite clicked for the Foxes in their first two matches and the big worry has been the lack of runs, with tallies of 170 and 148 in their two defeats.
It may take a little more time for the new additions to bed into the side and Wednesday's contest looks like a prime opportunity for Derbyshire to secure their first win of the campaign.
The Falcons have had no such problems with the bat, racking up scores of 197 and 194, and if they can tighten up in the bowling department then the results should start to improve.
Alternative Bet: Jack Morley over 1.5 wickets @ 7/4
Jack Morley has been in fine form with the ball for Derbyshire across the first two T20 Blast matches, taking 3-35 against Durham and then 4-44 against Yorkshire.
The slow left-armer accounted for three of Durham's first four batters and also dismissed two of Yorkshire's opening three batters, including former England star Jonny Bairstow.
The 24-year-old's subtle variations, mixing up the speed and flight of his deliveries, has bamboozled the batters so far and he looks capable of taking at least two scalps on Wednesday.
Leicestershire Foxes v Derbyshire Falcons Bet Builder Tip
Nick Kelly 30+ runs
Matthew Montgomery 3+ fours
Ross Whiteley 1+ six
Pays 17/2
Nick Kelly is doing his best to help Leicestershire post bigger totals, with an unbeaten 61 against Worcestershire followed by a knock of 29 against Durham.
The 32-year-old has produced some blistering shots and he looks capable of scoring at least 30 runs against Derbyshire.
Matthew Montgomery has been the Falcons' leading player with the bat, scoring 109 runs, and he has racked up 13 fours across those two knocks.
With eight fours coming in the first match and five in the second, the 26-year-old can find the boundary rope at least five times for the third-successive game.
Round off this bet builder with Derbyshire's Ross Whiteley to hit at least one six, something he has managed to do in both fixtures.
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Key Match Stats
Leicestershire Foxes have suffered defeats to Worcestershire Rapids and Durham in their first two matches
Derbyshire Falcons have also lost their opening two games, against Durham and Yorkshire
The Falcons have scored 197 and 194 in their two losses
The Foxes have managed totals of 170 and 148 in their two defeats
Nick Kelly leads Leicestershire's batting charts with 90 runs from his two innings
These two traded wins in the 2025 Blast, with the home side winning each time
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Tactics, Form and Team News
Leicestershire are unlikely to make any knee-jerk reactions after two defeats in a row, with the same XI from those two contests expected to be picked again.
Predicted Leicestershire Foxes XI: Sol Budinger, Stephen Eskinazi, Rishi Patel, Nick Kelly, Ashton Turner, Ben Cox (wk), Wicket Keeper, Liam Trevaskis, Ben Green (c), Ben Mike, Josh Davey, Josh Hull.
Derbyshire are expected to keep faith with the starting XI from the two-wicket defeat to Yorkshire, with Matthew Montgomery and Ross Whiteley providing firepower in the middle order.
Predicted Derbyshire Falcons XI: Aneurin Donald (c & wk), Martin Andersson, Caleb Jewell, Wayne Madsen, Matthew Montgomery, Ross Whiteley, Amrit Basra, Nick Potts, Ben Aitchison, Akif Javed, Jack Morley.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
