Both the defending Dream11 Super Smash champions - the Northern Brave men and the Wellington Blaze women - have reached the Grand Finals again this summer.
A rematch of the classic 2020/21 Final between the Wellington Blaze and Canterbury Magicians is set to unfold at Hagley Oval on Saturday after a special performance from Magicians legspinner Sarah Asmussen in today's women's knockout victory against the Otago Sparks.
Asmussen became the first player in the Magicians' history to take a T20 five-wicket bag, her 5-17 off three overs playing a huge role in restricting the Sparks to 81/9 in a rain-shortened, 13-over Dream11 Super Smash Elimination Final in Dunedin.
The Sparks had been gunning for a second consecutive appearance in the Grand Final, and had had the wood over the Magicians in the lead-up to the sudden-death match.
However, they lost by seven wickets in a last-over finish, after a nervy chase from the Magicians. Experienced Nat Cox ultimately eased the tension, and hit the winning runs for the visitors with three balls to spare while veteran Amy Satterthwaite finished with a valuable unbeaten 30*.
Asmussen said the team was strongly motivated to get their legend Satterthwaite into the Grand Final, with the legend having announced that Saturday's Grand Final will be her farewell match.
It will see Satterthwaite become the Magicians' most-capped player to boot, after having equalled Frankie Mackay's 104 T20 appearances record in the Elimination Final.
With the Otago Volts having been defeated by Northern Brave in the men's Elimination Final, it was a tough day for Otago home supporters while Canterbury will have both their men and women in action for a 2023 title tilt at Hagley Oval.
For the second consecutive season, the Canterbury Kings will meet Northern Brave in the men's Dream11 Super Smash Grand Final after Northern knocked out the Otago Volts with a 16-run DLS win in a weather-reduced match in Dunedin this afternoon.
Northern set up their win with an explosive start, the cruncher from Counties Manukau, Katene Clarke reaching a career-best 73 off just 39 balls.
Clarke punched five of the 11 sixes in Northern's 199/4, in an innings reduced to 18 overs. Further rain at the innings break saw the Volts' target adjusted to 177 off 15 overs, stand-in skipper Dean Foxcroft (39 off 16) and Josh Finnie (43 off 22) providing the fireworks against a strong Brave attack.
But the Brave attack was too good, tight work from spinning trio Mitch Santner, Joe Walker (1-18) and Tim Pringle (2-19) making the task a big one as the Volts lost big wickets at crucial times.
The Volts were left needing to pull something out of the hat, three sixes needed off the last three balls to force a super over. But three wickets fell off Brett Hampton's closer as Northern clinched the last ticket to the Final.
As the men's top qualifier, the Kings host both the men's and women's Grand Finals on Saturday at Hagley Oval.
2022/23 Dream11 Super Smash Grand Finals
Saturday, 11 February at Hagley Oval, Christchurch<strong
2.30pm • defending champion Wellington Blaze v Canterbury Magicians
6.30pm • Canterbury Kings v defending champion Northern Brave
Tickets available here
All Finals live on Spark Sport
Visit www.supersmash.co.nz for all info
