In the 26th match of the Women’s Super Smash 2025/26, Northern Brave Women will take on Auckland Hearts at Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland. Northern Brave Women are currently at the 4th position, winning 3 out of their 8 games so far with two games being called off. The Brave Women have been in great touch recently, but with a couple of games being called off, their good run doesn’t seem so good on paper. As they gear up to take on Auckland Hearts, here are the top 3 players to look out for Northern Brave Women:
Marina Lamplough
Marina Lamplough has been a key all-rounder for Northern Brave with her exceptional ability to find breakthroughs with both bat and ball. In her T20I career, she has scored 176 runs from 22 innings, and she has also picked up 2 wickets from 8 innings. She has had a decent tournament so far with the highest score of 35 against Otago Sparks and her bowling has been quite economical so far. She bowled quite well in her previous match as the batters struggled to get going against her and she also picked up a wicket. Lamplough is a key player in the setup for the Brave and she could play a huge role in their upcoming matches.
Jess Watkin
Jess Watkin, the Northern Brave’s skipper, has been an absolute phenomenal all-round performer in the current 2025-26 Women’s Super Smash, featuring recently in her 100th Super Smash appearance. In her T20I career, she has scored 118 runs from 8 innings, and she has also picked up 7 wickets from her 7 innings. Jess played a wonderful innings of 60 runs off just 37 balls, which was her 8th half-century in the tournament. The captain has been the backbone of the side with her consistent performances, and she will be hoping to carry her side all the way through.
Caitlin Gurrey
Caitlin Gurrey has been a sensational batter in the tournament so far and she is also the leading run-scorer for her side. She has only featured twice for her national side and has had a high score of 15. Across the 2025-26 Women’s Super Smash season so far, Caitlin Gurrey scored 133 runs in 6 innings, maintaining a healthy strike rate of 107.25. She has played a match-winning knock of 64 off just 39 balls, while chasing a target of 161 helping her side secure a 5-wicket victory. Gurrey will have to shoulder the responsibility of guiding the batting unit as she has been their best performer and her team could setup huge totals with the foundation laid by her.
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