Surrey are the cricket betting favourites to win the 2026 County Championship. Nottinghamshire, the defending champions, are in the mix once again, while Somerset are once again gunning for their first ever title.
Durham and Worcestershire were relegated to Division Two, with Leicestershire and Glamorgan promoted as their replacements. This is the first time Leicestershire will play in the top division since 2003.
County Championship Division One Preview
Surrey bolstered their bowling attack with Rahul Chohar and Sean Abbott. Ollie Pope is likely to be available far more this season than he has in previous years after being replaced by Jacob Bethell in the Test side, and Jamie Smith’s England spot is peculiarly up for debate.
The big names in Surrey’s squad understandably catch the eye, but Nottinghamshire have no shortage of top-tier players. Ben Duckett has a point to prove after a tough winter. Skipper Haseeb Hameed is coming off a fantastic season, and Kyle Verreynne was a shrewd overseas signing.
The development of Farhan Ahmed could be a ceiling-raiser for the Outlaws. Josh Tongue is unlikely to play more than a couple of matches, but the pace attack is still tantalising if Olly Stone and Dillon Pennington are fit.
Is this finally the year Somerset get over the hump? Well, their chances will be much improved if England resist the temptation to call-up James Rew. It’s a formidable batting lineup with both Rew brothers available, though the quick-bowling unit isn’t as exciting as their title rivals’.
Wiaan Mulder represents a very useful overseas player for Essex in the first half of the season, while Zaman Akhter offers some useful right-arm seamers and batting depth. An experienced top order of Dean Elgar and Tom Westley is followed by an array of all-rounders, while Sam Cook and Jamie Porter lead the fast-bowling unit.
The champion is almost certainly coming from this quartet. Hampshire and Sussex have talent to be competitive, but the squads aren’t as well-rounded as the top four. Yorkshire start the season strongly but won’t be anywhere near as formidable when Joe Root and Harry Brook are on England duty.
Division One Prediction
- 1st: Somerset
- 2nd: Surrey
- 3rd: Essex
County Championship Division Two Preview
Durham, Lancashire, Worcestershire, and Derbyshire are the four favourites to win Division Two.
Derbyshire missed promotion by five points after losing only two matches last season, while Lancashire added Paul Coughlin and Ajeet Singh Dale as domestic signings, with Marcus Harris and Mitch Perry as their overseas players for the start of the campaign.
The highly regarded Ben McKinney is surrounded by experience in the Durham batting lineup with Scott Borthwick, Alex Lees, and David Bedingham. Ollie Robinson and McKinney have been mooted as potential England players – keep an eye on their early-season performances.
Kemar Roach was a masterstroke of an overseas signing for the northeast club. Brydon Carse and Mark Wood won’t be available much, but Matthew Potts is likely out of England reckoning for the time being after a difficult Ashes.
Led by skipper James Anderson, Lancashire have added Dale and Perry to the bowling attack and will hope for higher run tallies from Josh Bohannon and George Balderson. Look for Rocky Flintoff to get a chance to impress, too.
Derbyshire were headline makers this offseason with the signings of Shoaib Bashir and Mohammad Abbas. It’s no secret Abbas’ metronomic bowling is dangerous in the County Championship, but their batting is heavily reliant on Harry Came and Caleb Jewell.
With one win in the Division One in 2025, Worcestershire’s only red-ball signing was Beyers Swanepoel. The South African has a great first-class record, but that’s not enough to suggest the Pears can finish in the top two.
Matt Milnes, Sam Northeast, and Senuran Muthusamy are intriguing signings for Kent. Zak Crawley certainly has something to prove. The Canterbury-based team are a dark horse to compete, despite finishing way off the pace in 2025.
Middlesex were only 11 points off promotion last season, but a quiet winter leaves their squad looking short on talent.
Division Two Prediction
- 1st: Durham
- 2nd: Lancashire
- 3rd: Kent
*Odds subject to change - prices accurate at the time of writing*
