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Invincibles have won last two and are the antepost favourites
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Have other franchises caught up?
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Phoenix look dangerous and balanced
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More misery beckons for Spirit and Fire
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Key men and bet strategies for each team
Oval Invincibles 3/14.00
2024 finish: Winners
Batting rank: 3
Key man: Rashid Khan
One to bet: Jordan Cox has four wins in 12 on top bat
Squad: Sam Billings (captain), Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Will Jacks, Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Jordan Cox, Saqib Mahmood, Jason Behrendorff (Australia), Gus Atkinson, Donovan Ferreira (South Africa), Nathan Sowter, Tawanda Muyeye, Miles Hammond, George Scrimshaw, Zafar Gohar
Possible XI: Jacks, Muyeye, Cox, S Curran, Ferreira, Billings, T Curran, Rashid Khan, Behrendorff, Sowter, Saqib
Analysis: Invincibles are aiming for a third-successive title. Are they good enough for such a rare feat in franchise leagues? The addition of Rashid Khan will convince many that the answer to that is yes. But is their batting powerful enough? They are reliant on Tawanda Muyeye continuing his upward trajectory. Donovan Ferreira is an old favourites of these pages for quick runs. The bowling unit is superb. Nathan Sowter is an underrated player.
Southern Brave 7/24.50
2024 finish: Runners-up
Batting rank: 4
Key man: Rovman Powell could do incredible damage at the death
Ones to bet: Vince and Mills have win rates at 39% and 44% in last two years on top bat and bowler respectively
Squad: Jofra Archer, Michael Bracewell (New Zealand), James Vince, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Leus Du Plooy, Laurie Evans, Craig Overton, Reece Topley, Finn Allen (New Zealand), Jordan Thompson, Danny Briggs, James Coles, Jason Roy, Tory Albert, Hilton Cartwright (Australia)
Possible XI: Vince, Allen, Roy/Coles, Du Plooy, Evans, Cartwright, C Overton, Bracewell, Jordan, Mills, Archer/Topley
Analysis: Brave have great depth and their three overseas options are very solid. Finn Allen will be charged with explosive starts allowing run machine James Vince to be more sensible. It's a combo to like. They are not reliant on the fitness of Jofra Archer and Reece Topley thanks to Tymal Mills' consistency. It would be a surprise if they finished outside the top three. Might be a good idea, though, to go with James Coles instead of Jason Roy.
Birmingham Phoenix 5/16.00
2024 finish: 2nd
Batting rank: 5
Key man: Aneurin Donald
Ones to bet: Ben Duckett wins at 43% on top bat, Benny Howell is a 4s chance on top bowler
Squad: Liam Livingstone (captain), Ben Duckett, Trent Boult (New Zealand), Joe Clarke, Jacob Bethell, Adam Milne (New Zealand), Benny Howell, Tim Southee (New Zealand), Dan Mousley, Will Smeed, Chris Wood, Harry Moore, Tom Helm, Aneurin Donald, Liam Patterson-White, Louis Kimber
Possible XI: Duckett, Smeed/Donald, Bethell, Livingstone, Mousley, J Clarke, Kimber, Howell, Southee, Milne, Boult
Analysis: Birmingham are highly aggressive with the bat with the best boundary percentage from the end of last season. Aneurin Donald, who could open the batting, was a six-hitting machine in the Blast. They might be a little light on lower-order power but the trade off is that all-Kiwi pace attack. With no world-class spinner this is not particularly nuanced stuff.
Back Phoenix to win title
Manchester Originals 5/16.00
2024 finish: 7th
Batting rank: 2
Key man: Noor Ahmad
One to bet: Buttler has six wins in 10 on top bat
Squad: Jos Buttler, Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan), Phil Salt, Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand), Lewis Gregory, Ben McKinney, Heinrich Klaasen (South Africa), George Garton, Matthew Hurst, Josh Tongue, Scott Currie, Tom Hartley, Sonny Baker, Tom Aspinwall, James Anderson, Marchant de Lange
Possible XI: Buttler, Salt, Ravindra, Klaasen, Hurst, Gregory, Garton, Hartley, Noor, Tongue, Anderson
Analysis: Originals should be much improved. They lost Jos Buttler to injury last season and therefore their mojo. Noor Ahmad, after a brilliant IPL, is a great pick-up while Heinrich Klaasen needs to rediscover hitting form after a poor MLC. James Anderson could be lethal if the ball has the extra layer of lacquer which made life tricky for openers last term.
Northern Superchargers 6/17.00
2024 finish: 4th
Batting rank: 7
Key man: Ben Dwarshuis
One to bet: Adil Rashid has three wins in 14 on top bowler
Squad: Harry Brook, David Miller (South Africa), Adil Rashid, Zak Crawley, Mitchell Santner (New Zealand), Dan Lawrence, Brydon Carse, Ben Dwarshuis (Australia), Matthew Potts, Michael Pepper, Dawid Malan, Pat Brown, Graham Clark, Tom Lawes, James Fuller, Rocky Flintoff
Possible XI: Crawley, Pepper, Malan, Brook, Lawrence, Miller, Fuller, Santner, Rashid, Potts, Brown
Analysis: On a road at Leeds Superchargers need bowling nous. Have they got enough of that? Maybe not. Scoring runs should not be a problem but this looks like a one-dimensional group and it would be a surprise if they were to break into the top three. Both teams to score high at home is a strategy.
Trent Rockets 15/28.50
2024 finish: 5th
Batting rank: 1
Key man: David Willey
One to bet: Banton is 25% chance on top bat
Squad: Joe Root, David Willey, Marcus Stoinis (Australia), Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand), Tom Banton, Max Holden, George Linde (South Africa), Sam Cook, John Turner, Adam Hose, Rehan Ahmed, Sam Hain, Tom Alsop, Calvin Harrison, Callum Parkinson, Ben Sanderson
Possible XI: Banton, Holden, Root, Willey, Stoinis, Hain, Rehan, Linde, Ferguson, Harrison, Parkinson/S Cook/Turner
Analysis: The Trent Bridge surface holds the key for Rockets. It has been slow and taken turn. But that wouldn't be a great strategy with this squad packed with hitters keen to hit through the line. We're not sure Joe Root is in their best XI. David Willey's all-round ability and leadership are a major plus though.
Welsh Fire 9/110.00
2024 finish: 5th
Batting rank: 8
Key man: Steve Smith
One to bet: Banton is 25% chance on top bat. Smith may win at 50% though
Squad: Tom Abell (captain), Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, Steve Smith (Australia), David Payne, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Paul Walter, Riley Meredith (Australia), Chris Green (Australia), Saif Zaib, Luke Wells, Stephen Eskinazi, Josh Hull, Mason Crane, Ajeet Singh Dale, Ben Kellaway
Possible XI: Bairstow, Smith, L Wells, Kohler-Cadmore, Abell, Walter, Green, Woakes, Payne, Meredith, Crane
Analysis: The Fire have not qualified for the latter stage in four attempts. This may be No 5. It's hard to think the odds are wrong, although Steve Smith should find this level far too easy. He might not be available for the whole tournament, hwoever, possibly missing three games and then returning for the knockouts. They had the joint-worst boundary percentage in the last 10 games. And the lowest average score of 111.
London Spirit 13/114.00
2024 finish: Bottom
Batting rank: 6
Key man: David Warner
One to bet: Keaton Jennings has four of the last five top bats
Squad: Kane Williamson (New Zealand, captain), Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, David Warner (Australia), Daniel Worrall, Richard Gleeson, Luke Wood, Olly Stone, Ashton Turner (Australia), Ollie Pope, Jafer Chohan, Keaton Jennings, Wayne Madsen, Sean Dickson, Ryan Higgins
Possible XI: Warner, Jennings, Williamson, J Smith, Madsen, Turner, J Overton, Dawson, L Wood, Gleeson, Worrall
Analysis: David Warner was bombed out by Seattle in the MLC so his effectiveness may finally be on the wane. Kane Williamson isn't a T20 signing that makes sense let alone over 100 balls. They don't trouble the scorers, so to speak.