One year on after the Toyota Disability Premier League Final had to be settled by a bowl-out on a washed-out reserve day at Loughborough, the Hawks and the Pirates will do battle back on the mainstage at Sophia Gardens ahead of England Men’s second IT20 against Sri Lanka tomorrow.
It will be the tournament’s fifth final, and the third at Cardiff, and central to the day will be two brothers who’ll be desperately hoping for very different outcomes. Gregor McKenzie – captain of the Hawks – will line up opposite younger brother Monty, with both the DPL title and sibling rivalry on the line.
Gregor is enjoying a tournament to remember, having made a tournament record 167 not out against the Tridents back in July, but despite his Hawks side having very much been the team to beat throughout the group stage – winning every game – it might not be all plain sailing in Thursday’s final.
Callum Flynn, Alex Hammond and George Greenway are all unavailable – which is why McKenzie assumes the captaincy – but for Pirates it’s more or less a full strength outfit, barring the absence of Jack Perry. Despite the Hawks’ unbeaten record, it might even be they go into the game as underdogs.
But either way the McKenzie family will have one winner, with Monty’s Pirates team seeking a second-ever trophy having been losing finalists on three occasions, including in last year’s bowl-out.
The frustrating denouement to the 2025 edition of the DPL means excitement has been ratcheted up going into Thursday’s final, the Sky Sports cameras and the Cardiff public will be in attendance to see whether it’s the Hawks or the Pirates who end up collecting their second DPL trophy – and indeed which McKenzie brother leaves victorious.
The 2026 Toyota Disability Premier League final will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, with coverage getting underway shortly before the 2pm BST start time. The game will be broadcast in full on Sky Sports Cricket, followed by the England Men v Sri Lanka Vitality IT20.
You can follow live scores throughout the afternoon on the ECB website and England Cricket app
Previous winners:
2022: Tridents beat Pirates
2023: Hawks beat Pirates
2024: Pirates beat Tridents
2025: Tridents beat Pirates* (*via a bowl-out)