A packed house at Worcestershire's New Road home are looking forward to a local derby dust-up between the Rapids and Warwickshire Bears in the Central & West Group of the T20 Blast.
The Rapids made the brighter start by winning their opener against Leicestershire though were brought back to earth with a bump against Northants.
Warwickshire, Blast quarter-finalists but never further in each of the past five years, are hoping it's third time lucky in 2026 after losing their first two fixtures.
Worcestershire Rapids v Warwickshire Bears Tips Summary
Best Bet - Warwickshire Bears to win @ 11/10
Alternative Bet - R Yates over 21.5 player performance @ 5/6
Bet Builder - Over 9.5 catches, MJ Waite 1+ wicket, O Hannon-Dalby 1+ wicket, Under 351.5 match runs @ 11/2
Worcestershire Rapids v Warwickshire Bears Prediction
Best Bet: Warwickshire Bears to win @ 11/10
Warwickshire Bears enjoy their short trips to Worcester, where they have racked up three successive Blast wins.
Indeed, they have won six of their last seven matches against their neighbours and, while a new summer brings new challenges, Ed Barnard's visitors ought to like the look of their chances.
They come into the game on the back of two losses and while the Rapids might have four points to their name, they come into the match on the back of an abject 100-run defeat to the Steelbacks.
At least Warwickshire put up a fight against champions Somerset last time out and can take confidence from that.
Alternative Bet: RM Yates over 21.5 player performance @ 5/6
Rob Yates has started the season with a bang and the Warks opener can get more runs on a decent batting surface at New Road.
The Bears' opener has got three county championship 50s to his name this term and prepped for the Blast by smashing a 52-ball 91, including six sixes, for a Bears XI against a Glamorgan XI.
He scored 14 in a sorry loss to Gloucestershire and then looked sharp with 42 off 25 balls against a powerhouse Somerset side.
Take Yates to clear his player performance mark of 21.5.
Worcestershire Rapids v Warwickshire Bears Bet Builder Tip
- Over 9.5 catches
- MJ Waite 1+ wicket
- O Hannon-Dalby 1+ wicket
- Under 351.5 match runs
Pays 11/2
One game has been staged at New Road this season, Sunday's showdown between Worcester and Northants in which both teams were bowled out.
The wicket was actually decent with 16 players out caught, so make over 9.5 match catches the first leg of the bet builder.
Matt Waite took 3-42 in that game and bowled nicely with the new ball; expect him to take at least one scalp for the home side.
Bears seamer Olly Hannon-Dalby has also started the campaign well, taking four wickets in a warm-up game against Glamorgan and then one more against Gloucester and two versus Somerset.
He looks a safe bet to grab at least one wicket at New Road.
The only New Road fixture thus far, on a hot, sunny evening, saw 282 runs. There is no reason to think there should be over 351.5 in this contest.
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Key Match Stats
- The Rapids are on four points courtesy of an 18-run win over Leicestershire in their first game
- In their second game they suffered a crushing 100-run loss at home to Northants, where they were skittled for just 91
- Warwickshire have played two and lost two, bowled out for 74 in a 47-run loss at Gloucestershire and then beaten by seven wickets by Somerset
- Adam Finch has taken top bowler honours in both Worcestershire games so far, with 2-32 against Leics and 3-36 against the Steelbacks
- The Bears have won six of their last seven Blast matches against neighbours Worcestershire, including three in a row at New Road
Tactics, Form and Team News
The Rapids have named an unchanged side for the first two games and seem in no hurry to make too many changes.
That means South African-born teenage star Dan Rategan may have to bide his time with Sikandar Raza and Usama Mir nailed on for the overseas spots.
Predicted Worcestershire Rapids XI: Mohammed, D'Oliveira (c), Ali, Hose, Brookes, Raza, Roderick (wk), Waite, Mir, Taylor, Finch.
The Bears are missing England all-rounder Jacob Bethell, who has returned early from the IPL with a broken finger.
Left-arm quick George Garton is also a non-runner as he recovers from a stress fracture of the back.
Predicted Warwickshire Bears XI: Davies (wk), Yates, Webster, Hain, Barnard (c), Jani, Thompson, Woakes, T Ali, Hannon-Dalby, Tariq.
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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.
