The Kiwi speedster has been a part of the Punjab Kings and the Lucknow Supergiants previously.
Matt Henry has cracked the Zimbabwean batting order open. The 33-year-old picked up six wickets in the first innings of the first Test at Bulawayo. He was in top form and the ball in his hand did all the talking, as the Kiwis wrapped up the Zimbabwe innings for a mere 149. Henry’s most important wicket was that of Sikandar Raza, who was dismissed for just two runs off the third delivery he faced in the match. Captain Craig Ervine won the toss and elected to bat first, but New Zealand rocked them over to gain an upper ground on the Test match.
TBW
188/5
BVB
183/5
AMR
–
TBW
–
ABF
–
GAW
–
SLK
–
TKR
–
NDT
144/3
ODW
142/7
New Delhi Tigers beat Outer Delhi Warriors by 7 wickets
NDS
–
EDR
–
WDL
–
PD
–
NDSW
118/5
EDRW
116/4
North Delhi Strikers Women beat East Delhi Riders Women by 2 runs
AUST
88/7
BEL
136/6
Belgium beat Austria by 48 runs
AUST
115/7
BEL
153/2
Belgium beat Austria by 38 runs
AUST
136/3
BEL
131/6
Austria beat Belgium by 7 wickets
AUST
146/0
BEL
142/4
Austria beat Belgium by 10 wickets
ROM
–
CZR
–
ROM
–
CZR
–
ROM
–
CZR
–
ROM
–
CZR
–
AUST
–
BEL
–
AUST
–
BEL
–
ROM
195/4
CZR
170/7
Romania beat Czech Republic by 25 runs
ROM
157/8
CZR
159/6
Czech Republic beat Romania by 4 wickets
KHTC
147/6
VFB
149/4
VFB Fallersleben beat 1.Kieler HTC by 6 wickets
KSV
173/3
SGFD
137/6
KSV Kings beat SG Findorff by 36 runs
SGFD
152/8
VFB
116/8
SG Findorff beat VFB Fallersleben by 36 runs
SGFD
82/10
KSV
87/3
KSV Kings beat SG Findorff by 7 wickets
LAN
249/9
BB
253/5
Birmingham Bears beat Lancashire by 5 wickets
DER
345/10
SURR
388/4
Surrey beat Derbyshire by 43 runs
YOR
354/7
DURH
142/10
Yorkshire beat Durham by 212 runs
WOR
298/5
GLAM
297/7
Worcestershire beat Glamorgan by 5 wickets
NOT
291/10
GLO
343/7
Gloucestershire beat Nottinghamshire by 52 runs
PNG
205/10
DEN
223/8
Denmark beat Papua New Guinea by 18 runs
KWT
–
JER
–
IRE-W
–
ITA-W
–
NED-W
–
GER-W
–
BAN
–
IND
–
Match Called off
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
ALRS
151/7
TTS
152/3
Thrissur Titans beat Alleppey Ripples by 7 wickets
ARKS
164/9
ATR
165/6
Adani Trivandrum Royals beat Aries Kollam Sailors by 4 wickets
KBTS
–
ALRS
–
TTS
–
CAGS
–
HBT
173/2
GBM
172/7
Hubli Tigers beat Gulbarga Mystics by 8 wickets
SML
195/7
MGD
200/5
Mangalore Dragons Won by 5 runs
HBT
–
MYW
–
BNB
–
GBM
–
RNC
124/9
YSG
152/8
Yallah Shabab Giants beat Renaissance Challengers by 28 runs
MAT
139/5
MUT
136/5
Majees Titans beat Muscat Thunderers by 5 wickets
ROS
110/5
IAI
104/10
Royal Oman Stallions beat IAS Invincibles by 5 wickets
YSG
–
MUT
–
RNC
–
IAI
–
ROS
–
MAT
–
AUS
193/10
SA
277/10
South Africa beat Australia by 84 runs
IPS
189/9
GCT
211/8
Gold Coast beat Ipswich by 22 runs
TMB
271/5
NSBB
193/8
Toombul beat Northern Suburbs by 78 runs
SSC
–
SGR
–
WYN
–
RLS
–
TMB
–
VLLY
–
SBB
–
IPS
–
WSS
–
UOQ
–
IPS
–
TMB
–
BIP
138/9
WEF
140/2
Welsh Fire won by 8 wickets
NOS
–
OVI
–
LOS
–
SOB
–
BIP-W
114/9
WFW-W
150/3
Welsh Fire Women beat Birmingham Phoenix Women by 36 runs
NOS-W
–
OIW-W
–
LSW-W
–
SBW-W
–
MR-A
134/9
AS-A
135/4
Adelaide Strikers Academy beat Melbourne Renegades Academy by 6 wickets
NTS
135/10
PSA
139/3
Perth Scorchers Academy beat Northern Territory Strike by 7 wickets
PS
144/9
NEP
143/7
Pakistan Shaheens won by 1 run
CHK
–
HHA
–
ACOM
–
MS-A
–
BANA
–
AS-A
–
NOSK
114/6
KASS
110/10
Noida Super Kings beat Kanpur Superstars by 4 wickets
LUF
182/8
GOLS
183/3
Gorakhpur Lions beat Lucknow Falcons by 7 wickets
KARS
–
MEMA
–
GOLS
–
KASS
–
To everyone’s surprise, a bowler of Matt Henry’s poise went unsold for the recent edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has played six games in total, for just two franchises in the league. His latest stint was with the Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) in 2024. He featured in four games and could only pick a solitary wicket, giving away 110 runs in the bargain. But his game has certainly improved post that.
After picking 17 wickets against Australia at home, he ran through the Indian batting line-up in Bengaluru in 2024. He ended with a five-wicket haul, giving away just 15 runs. After repeating the same heroics against England at home, Henry went on to impress in the white-ball series against the Sri Lankans. He registered 10 wickets in the ICC Champions Trophy before bring ruled out of the Final due to an injury.
Many franchises will regret not picking him in the IPL 2025 auctions when he was up for grabs. The Kiwi pacer was already on the path towards improving his bowling multiple fold, and could have been beneficial for many of the franchises. However, with the trades and transfers for the next cycle on the horizon, here are three teams that could target signing Matt Henry ahead of IPL 2026.
The one-time IPL champions might be on the lookout for a good foreign pacer. Gerald Coetzee might not fit the retention criteria and can be released into the auction pool. It will therefore be a good opportunity for the Titans to go for someone like Henry, who has been on the rise since quite some time.
Along with pace, the Kiwi speedster also brings accuracy and variations into the mix. Looking at the way the Titans have bowled in the recent season, they might need some variety at the death to couple with the likes of Kagiso Rabada. Azmatullah Omarzai has been doing really well in terms of his all-round skills, and the team can involve Henry to bowl at the death, along with his variations.
Another franchise that might find themselves in the need for a quality fast bowler for the next season is Chennai Super Kings. The five-time IPL champions have the likes of Sam Curran and Nathan Ellis, but failed to make an impact with the new ball this time around.
With the likes of Matt Henry, CSK will have the cushion of a bowler who can bowl well in all stages. Moreover, the pitches in Chennai are sometimes dual paced in nature. They provide help with the new ball in the powerplay. To add to that, the pitches also assist slower balls towards the end of the innings. Hence, the Kiwi pacer would be handy for the Yellow Army, if they are to look for an overseas pacer.
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The champions of the inaugural season have Kwena Maphaka and Nandre Burger in the squad. But apart from Jofra Archer, the Royals do not possess any foreign speedster who can add pace to their wings. The likes of Tushar Deshpande and Akash Madhwal will find themselves in the playing XI regularly. But they might not have the same impact which Matt Henry can create.
The Royals conceded 200 runs in seven of their 14 fixtures last season. This was clearly one of the reasons they couldn’t qualify for the playoffs. If they sign Matt Henry, it would help their chances of bowling well at the death. With his variations and changes in pace, the pacer from New Zealand is extremely difficult to read in death overs. He has taken a beating in the past but seems a much improved bowler since the 2024 season.
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