Sussex vs Kent Match Report, T20 Blast 2026

Sussex won by 7 wickets (with 16 balls remaining) against Kent in the 48th match of 112 in the T20 Blast 2026, played at County Ground, Hove.

Sussex won the toss and elected to bowl – a decision that looked inspired as Sean Hunt produced exceptional figures of 4-1-9-3 to reduce Kent to 133/8.

Kent Batting Crumbles After Early Collapse

Kent’s top order was dismantled inside the powerplay. Daniel Bell-Drummond was bowled for 2 at 13/1, Zak Crawley was caught for a duck at 13/2, and Sam Billings followed for another duck caught at 18/3. Three of Kent’s most experienced batters gone inside four overs for a combined 2 runs.

Harry Finch (27 off 19, five fours) counter-attacked briefly, but it was Joe Denly who held the innings together. The veteran made 42 off 34 balls with a four and two sixes, anchoring Kent through the middle overs. Chris Benjamin contributed 22 off 25 but the run rate suffered.

Keith Dudgeon provided late impetus with an unbeaten 29 off 19 (three fours, one six, SR 153), but 133/8 was never going to be enough against a settled Sussex batting lineup.

Hunt’s 4-1-9-3 was the standout spell, while Tymal Mills weighed in with 4-0-28-3. Jack Leaning took 3-0-22-1 and Danny Briggs added 4-0-28-1.

Sussex Coast to Victory with 16 Balls to Spare

The chase was straightforward. John Simpson set the tone with 33 off 22 (seven fours, SR 150) before being caught at 43/1. Harrison Ward fell LBW for a duck, but Daniel Hughes (41* off 37, five fours) and Oliver Carter (32* off 19, four fours, SR 168) put on an unbroken 56-run stand to seal the win.

Dudgeon was Kent’s best bowler in the chase with 4-0-24-2, while Jake Lintott bowled tightly at 4-0-19-0. But the total was simply too small to defend.

Statz MVP

Sean Hunt takes the Statz MVP award with an mi_rating of 188.40. His figures of 4-1-9-3 were devastating – a maiden over in T20 cricket tells you everything about the control he had. The Statz formula, which calculates impact based on match context, gave Hunt the highest rating for breaking the back of Kent’s batting when the powerplay wickets were most valuable.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

1. Sean Hunt – 188.40 – 4-1-9-3 including a maiden over. Exceptional T20 bowling in the powerplay.
2. Keith Dudgeon – 124.18 – 29* off 19 batting and 4-0-24-2 bowling. All-round excellence in a losing cause.
3. Joe Denly – 62.57 – 42 off 34 held Kent’s innings together when everything else crumbled around him.
4. Tymal Mills – 60.61 – 4-0-28-3 gave Hunt excellent support from the other end.
5. Oliver Carter – 58.04 – 32* off 19 at SR 168. Sealed the win with a clinical unbeaten knock.

Turning Point

The dismissal of Sam Billings caught at 18/3 in the fourth over. When a player of Billings’ calibre departs for a duck with Kent already two down for 13, the innings was in crisis. Hunt had already removed Bell-Drummond and Crawley – three top-order wickets in the powerplay set up a comfortable Sussex victory.

Match Context

This was the 48th match of 112 in the T20 Blast 2026. Sussex climb to 13th with 2 wins and 4 losses (8 points), badly needing victories to revive their campaign. Kent remain 8th with 3 wins and 2 losses (12 points), but defeats like this where the top order collectively fails are a concern heading into the business end of the group stage.

Full scorecard on Statz