There will be a new champion this season in both the men's and women's leagues. Now, which teams can still make the Finals?
FOUR MEN'S CONTENDERS, THREE SPOTS
Hamilton on 18 January turned out to be a bad place to be if you were a defending Dream11 Super Smash champion.
The home side at Seddon Park, Northern Brave has won the men's trophy for two seasons on the bounce, but last night the Canterbury Kings produced a six-strewn, record King total of 222/3 then backed that up with a big, Will O'Rourke-driven performance with the ball for one of the Kings' biggest ever victories.
Meanwhile, Brave needed a win to stay alive. The result means they can no longer make the playoffs while the Kings snuck past the Central Stags on the ladder - those teams now equal on 20 points, but the Kings with a higher net run rate.
Their rocket-fuelled 90-run win had massively boosted the Kings from -0.09 to 0.58 on the NRR. That means the Stags (currently on 0.39) need a big victory of their own against the out of contention Otago Volts this afternoon in Dunedin.
That will be the last game for Central in the 10 rounds, and if they win, they will still have to sit back and nervously wait for what happens in the Kings' 10th and final game.
Joining the Kings and Stags as top three contenders at the super-tight top end of the table are the Auckland Aces with 24 points; and the Wellington Firebirds. The Firebirds-Kings game on Monday 22 January in Wellington will be a must-see, and the Firebirds will be able to book the Grand Final if the Aces meanwhile don't win tomorrow in Auckland.
Yes, it's all on.
WOMEN FIGHT FOR 2v3 ELIMINATOR
The Canterbury Magicians headed to Seddon Park yesterday as the defending champion, still with a faint hope of making the Finals. But a heartbreaking one-run defeat on the last ball in a rain-reduced chase against the resurgent Brave women put paid to that.
Technically, the Magicians and Auckland Hearts can still get up to 16 points which is where the third-placed Otago Sparks currently sit, ahead of today's huge clash with the Central Hinds who are one rung above the Sparks in second.
The problem for the Mags is that Northern Brave has a game in hand, and their last game is against the Otago Sparks - the very last regular season match on Tuesday next week.
That means at least two points is up for grabs for the Sparks or Brave there, if they win, tie or get washed out. The Brave could defeat the Hearts in Auckland and then beat the Sparks in their last match to qualify, if the Sparks don't beat the Hinds.
Today's match in Dunedin is a simpler equation for the high-flying Central Hinds: if they can beat the Sparks, the Hinds will move to 26 points - and that will be enough to lock in the Elimination Final at home.
But if the Sparks win, it could be the Sparks hosting the big playoffs, just one week from today.
So, the women's title fight is down to the Blaze, Hinds, Sparks and Brave, and you don't want to miss a moment as the business end of the Dream11 Super Smash continues over the next five days!
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