Nottinghamshire Crush Leicestershire by 74 Runs – Linde’s All-Round Blitz Seals Derby

Nottinghamshire won by 74 runs. Nottinghamshire powered their way to 209/4 before bowling Leicestershire out for 135 in match 64 of 115 in the T20 Blast 2026 at Grace Road, Leicester. George Linde delivered one of the all-round performances of the tournament – smashing 55 off 22 balls and picking up 1/18 with the ball to dismantle the hosts on their own patch. View the full scorecard on Statz.

First Innings – Nottinghamshire 209/4 (20 overs)

Leicestershire won the toss and elected to bowl, but the decision backfired immediately. Openers Joe Clarke and George Munsey raced to 60 inside the powerplay, with Clarke blazing 42 off 22 balls at a strike rate of 191. Six fours and two sixes from Clarke set the tone before he was clean bowled by Alex Green.

Jack Haynes struggled to find rhythm, managing just 5 off 6 before being caught, and Tom Moores contributed a measured 21 off 20 at the other end. But Munsey held firm throughout, finishing unbeaten on 75 off 52 (6×4, 3×6) to provide the backbone.

The real damage came from George Linde. The South African left-hander walked in at 137/3 in the 15th over and unleashed carnage – 55 off just 22 balls with five fours and four sixes, striking at 250. The Munsey-Linde partnership added 70 runs for the fourth wicket before Linde was run out at 207 with three balls remaining. Liam Trevaskis went for 41 off his three overs, and Ben Green conceded 49 off four as Leicestershire’s bowlers wilted.

Second Innings – Leicestershire 135 all out (17.5 overs)

Chasing 210 was always going to be a tall order, and it became impossible inside the powerplay. Rishi Patel was clean bowled for 1 by Mohammad Amir in the first over, and Nick Kelly followed for a duck, also bowled, at 3/2 after just 1.4 overs. Ben Cox scratched 5 off 8 before being caught, and Ashton Turner bagged a golden duck – caught first ball at 19/4 after 3.6 overs.

Rehan Ahmed was the lone bright spot, counter-attacking brilliantly with 45 off 23 balls (6×4, 2×6, SR 196). He dragged Leicestershire from 19/4 to 64 almost single-handedly, but when he was caught in the 10th over, the last realistic hope evaporated.

Lower down, Ben Mike showed fight with 39 off 24 (3×6), but the required rate was long gone. Mohammad Ali was the pick of the Notts attack with 3/20 from 3.5 overs at an economy of 5.22, while Amir (2/22) and Olly Stone (2/29) shared four wickets between them. Linde added 1/18 from three tidy overs to complete a dominant all-round display.

Statz MVP – George Linde (121.96)

George Linde is the Statz MVP for this match with an outstanding rating of 121.96. The Statz rating calculates impact based on match context, and Linde’s combined contribution of 55 off 22 with the bat and 3-0-18-1 with the ball produced a rating that reflects his extraordinary influence on the match. No official Man of the Match was recorded for this fixture.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

1. George Linde (Nottinghamshire) – 121.96 – Devastating all-round display: 55(22) at SR 250 with the bat and 1/18 from three overs with the ball.
2. Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire) – 87.62 – Counter-attacking 45(23) at SR 196 kept the chase alive single-handedly from 19/4.
3. Alex Green (Leicestershire) – 79.08 – The most economical Leicestershire bowler with 4-0-27-2, taking two key wickets in the first innings.
4. Ben Mike (Leicestershire) – 75.84 – Useful all-round contribution with 39(24) batting and a tidy 4-1-32-0 with the ball, including a maiden.
5. George Munsey (Nottinghamshire) – 63.84 – Anchored the Notts innings with an unbeaten 75 off 52, providing the platform for Linde’s late assault.

Turning Point

The chase was effectively dead inside four overs. Ashton Turner‘s golden duck – caught first ball at 19/4 after 3.6 overs – sealed the collapse that began when Rishi Patel was bowled for 1 in the opening over. With the required rate already climbing past 12 an over and four wickets down, only individual heroics could save Leicestershire. Rehan Ahmed‘s 45(23) provided exactly that, but his dismissal at 64/6 in the 10th over confirmed the inevitable.

Match Context

This result keeps Nottinghamshire in a strong position at 4th in the T20 Blast 2026 standings with 20 points from 8 matches (W5 L3, NRR +0.218). Leicestershire slip further into trouble at 14th with 12 points from 8 matches (W3 L5, NRR -1.344). The head-to-head record now reads Leicestershire 3 – Nottinghamshire 5 in the T20 Blast 2026.