The 26th match of the Super Smash 2025-26 will be played between Auckland Aces and Northern Districts at Eden Park Outer Oval in Auckland on Thursday, January 22. While the Districts aim to stay at the top, Auckland will look to regain the top spot. Auckland The Auckland Aces are currently sitting in the second spot with 20 points collected from their 8 games, including 4 wins, 2 defeats, and 2 no results. Their recent two-match winning streak was halted by Central Districts, who defeated them by 10 runs. In the last match, the Central Districts did not score a big total on their scoreboard, only posting 142 runs for 7 wickets in their innings. However, the Auckland Aces could only score 132 runs in their innings. Bevon Jacobs yet again showed his batting prowess, hitting 33 runs from 30 balls. A victory against the Northern Districts would help them regain their top spot on the points table. Northern Districts The Northern Districts might have hit by another no-result against the Central Districts in their recent match, but they moved to the top of the table. After remaining winless in the tournament for three matches at the start of their new season, the Northern District has bounced back. They are currently on a five-match unbeaten streak, winning five of their matches consecutively. They will be coming into this game after thrashing the Otago Volts by 31 runs in their 7th match. While batting first, they posted a mammoth score of 231 runs for 3 wickets in their innings. Katene Clarke scored a marvelous unbeaten century, scoring 100 runs from just 54 runs. The Otago Volts were in a great position to seal the match, but the Districts bowlers had other plans; they restricted the Volts to 200/8 in their 20 overs. Zak Gibson and Scott Kuggelejin took three wickets each. AUCK vs ND Match Details AUCK vs ND Super Smash Match Details Match Auckland vs Northern Districts 26th Match Date and Time Thursday, January 22; 08:55 a.m. IST Venue Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland Broadcasting and live streaming TV-NA; Livestream-FanCode/SonyLIV AUCK vs ND Pitch Report Eden Park Outer Oval is famous for its fast outfield and short boundaries, especially straight, creating a batter-friendly venue. However, in recent statistics, pace has shown reasonable effectiveness, with 37 wickets having been pocketed here compared to 20 by spinners in the last few matches. The average first-innings score sits at 162, which is decent, as matches tend not to be too large-scoring contests. From a batting perspective, we can foresee the conditions being friendly, while, for seamers, there could just be some movement throughout the first couple of overs after the new ball. AUCK vs ND Weather Report The weather in Auckland is expected to be dark and cloudy during the early hours of the gameplay. The temperature will be around 22-24°C, partly cloudy, and 65% relative humidity. There is 14% of rain showers predicted for this match, unlikely to go heavy during the game, but a constant light shower might interrupt. AUCK vs ND Head-to-Head Records AUCK vs ND head-to-head (in T20s) Match Played 35 Won by Auckland 15 Won by Northern Districts 19 Tied 0 No Result 1 AUCK vs ND 26th T20 Super Smash Probable XI Auckland: Dale Phillips (wk), Martin Guptill (c), Simon Keene, Adam Jones, Ben Lister, Lachlan Stackpole, Ryan Harrison, Siddhesh Dixit, Harjot Johal, Angus Olliver, Rohit Gulati Northern Districts: Joe Carter, Katene Clarke, Zak Gibson, Xavier Bell, Brett Hampton, Ollie White, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ben Pomare (wk), Robert O'Donnell (c), Tim Pringle, Matthew Fisher. Players To Watch Out For In the AUCK vs ND 26th T20 Super Smash Match Dale Phillips | AUCK: Dale Phillips has been the standout performer of the tournament so far with 239 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 155.19. He is known for playing calm and composed knocks for the team. He recently scored a half-century against Canterbury, asserting his power and ability to play a match-winning knock. Katene Clark | ND: Katene Clark has been consistently a top-order performer for the team throughout the years. He has been performing brilliantly in this season as well, scoring 330 runs in just 6 innings with an average of 82.5 and a phenomenal strike rate of 175.5. His last four innings in the tournament read 100*, 60*, 54, 97. His accelerating ability makes him a vital cog for the Northern Districts. AUCK vs ND Toss Prediction Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue In the last five T20 matches played at this venue, the teams that won the toss have opted to bowl twice and bat on three occasions. Advantages of Bowling First on This Pitch In 61 men's T20 matches played at this venue so far, the team batting first has recorded 25 victories, while the team chasing has won in 33 matches. This trend suggests that teams should prefer to bowl first and focus on restricting their opponents under the par score. AUCK vs ND Today's Match Scenario Scenario 1 Toss Winner: AUCK (opts to bowl first) Power-Play Score: 40-45 ND Total: 175-180 Match Winner: Northern Districts Scenario 2 Toss Winner: ND (opts to bowl first) Power-Play Score: 38-43 AUCK Total: 160-175 Match Winner: Northern Districts Who will win today's AUCK vs ND 26th T20 match? Northern Districts will surely start as the clear favorites to win this match. They have shown their dominance in the tournament so far, winning their last four matches consecutively. Considering the form of both teams, batting and bowling depth, Northern Districts holds an edge. Moreover, in the last 6 head-to-head clashes between these two sides, the Districts have 4 wins to their name, while the Aces have only two.