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UFC / MMASheffield Shield 2026-27 | Season Guide, Results & Betting Tips
The Sheffield Shield is Australia’s premier domestic first-class cricket competition: six state teams playing four-day matches over a season that runs from October to March. The 2026-27 season is under way, and South Australia are the defending champions after beating Victoria by 56 runs in the 2025-26 final at the Junction Oval in Melbourne, their first back-to-back titles.
Below: this round’s 2026-27 fixtures, then how the 2025-26 season finished (final ladder, final result, top run scorers and wicket takers), plus a full guide to Sheffield Shield betting markets, the points system and where to bet. For more cricket coverage, visit our cricket tips hub.
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Sheffield Shield 2026-27: Round 3 Fixtures (28 Oct to 3 Nov)
The 2026-27 season is under way. Round 3 runs from Wednesday 28 October to Tuesday 3 November, per Cricket Australia’s 2026-27 schedule, and Nic Maddinson and Sam Harper were released from Australia’s Test squad in South Africa to play in it.
| Match | Dates | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| South Australia v Western Australia | Wed 28 to Sat 31 Oct | Adelaide Oval |
| Tasmania v New South Wales | Fri 30 Oct to Mon 2 Nov | Ninja Stadium, Hobart |
| Queensland v Victoria | Sat 31 Oct to Tue 3 Nov | The Gabba, Brisbane |
Sheffield Shield 2025-26 Final Standings
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victoria | 10 | 7 | 2 | 60.86 |
| 2 | South Australia 🏆 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 44.81 |
| 3 | Queensland | 10 | 3 | 4 | 37.38 |
| 4 | Tasmania | 10 | 4 | 4 | 36.23 |
| 5 | New South Wales | 10 | 2 | 4 | 31.54 |
| 6 | Western Australia | 10 | 1 | 5 | 22.15 |
Victoria finished the home-and-away rounds well clear at the top with seven wins from 10, hosting the final at the Junction Oval. South Australia squeezed into second by 7.43 points over Queensland to earn the trip to Melbourne, then turned the form book on its head in the final.
Sheffield Shield Final 2026: South Australia’s Back-to-Back
South Australia beat Victoria by 56 runs at the Junction Oval (26–30 March 2026) to win back-to-back Sheffield Shields for the first time.
Rain allowed only 28 overs on day one, and South Australia were 7 for 122 in their second innings before Alex Carey (103) and Nathan McAndrew (60) added 105 for the eighth wicket. Set 196 to win, Victoria lost their last 7 wickets for 37 runs and fell 56 short. Nathan McAndrew was named Player of the Match, and Liam Scott was Player of the Series with 547 runs and 28 wickets.
It was South Australia’s 15th Sheffield Shield title and followed their 2024-25 win. Victoria had lost just two matches all season before the final.
Sheffield Shield 2025-26 Stats Leaders
Top Run Scorers
| Player | Team | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Handscomb | Victoria | 724 |
| Sam Harper | Victoria | 677 |
| Cameron Bancroft | Western Australia | 674 |
| Henry Hunt | South Australia | 673 |
| Sam Konstas | New South Wales | 660 |
Top Wicket Takers
| Player | Team | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| Liam Hatcher | New South Wales | 44 |
| Cameron Gannon | Western Australia | 42 |
| Corey Rocchiccioli | Western Australia | 38 |
| Nathan McAndrew | South Australia | 37 |
| Fergus O’Neill | Victoria | 35 |
Peter Handscomb’s 724 runs underlined his importance to Victoria’s run to the final, while Liam Hatcher’s 44-wicket haul for NSW was the standout individual bowling effort despite the Blues finishing 5th. Nathan McAndrew bowled SA to the title with 37 wickets and key contributions throughout the back end of the season.
Sheffield Shield Betting Markets
| Market | Description |
|---|---|
| Outright Winner | Pre-season market on which state will lift the Shield. NSW and Victoria are usually short, with bookmakers re-pricing through the summer. South Australia go into 2026-27 as two-time defending champions. |
| Match Winner | The headline market on every individual fixture: Team A win, Team B win, or draw. Draws are far more common in Shield cricket than in white-ball formats, so the price reflects that. |
| Match Top Batter / Bowler | Per-match props: leading run scorer or wicket taker for either side. Pricing tightens once teams are confirmed and bowling conditions assessed. |
| Innings Total Runs | Over/under markets on first-innings totals, a popular play given how much pitch and weather conditions vary across venues like the Gabba, Adelaide Oval, WACA and Bellerive. |
| To Make the Final | Two-up market: back any state to finish in the top two of the ladder. Lower variance than outright and useful when one or two sides clearly stand out. |
| Top Series Run Scorer / Wicket Taker | Season-long player markets. Often skewed toward batters from sides that play more matches at run-scoring venues, and bowlers who play home games on seamer-friendly tracks. |
Sheffield Shield betting volumes step up sharply during the Australian summer, with most major bookmakers adding match-by-match props once the round-by-round schedule is released. Test selection chatter is the other big driver, because strong Shield form often translates directly into Australian Test squad calls, which moves both player markets and outright odds.
Sheffield Shield Format & Points System
The Sheffield Shield is contested between Australia’s six state sides: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. The format:
- 10 round-robin matches per team: each side plays the other five home and away
- Four-day matches with two innings per side and the option to enforce the follow-on
- Top two teams meet in a five-day final hosted by the side that finished higher on the ladder
- The final can be drawn, in which case the team finishing higher on the ladder wins the Shield (which is why ladder position is so valuable)
The points system weights wins heavily and rewards aggressive cricket via batting and bowling bonus points:
- Win: 6 points + bonus points
- Draw: 1 point + bonus points
- Tie: 3 points each
- Loss: 0 points (bonus points still apply)
- Bonus points: awarded for batting (runs scored in the first 100 overs of innings 1) and bowling (wickets taken in the first 100 overs of opposition innings 1), capped at 5 batting + 5 bowling bonus points per match
Net points (the figure shown in the standings table above) is points divided by matches played × 10, which corrects for any matches missed and produces the figures used to rank teams.
Sheffield Shield Winners: All-Time Titles
| State | Titles | Most Recent |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 47 | 2019-20 |
| Victoria | 32 | 2018-19 |
| Western Australia | 18 | 2023-24 |
| South Australia | 15 | 2025-26 |
| Queensland | 9 | 2020-21 |
| Tasmania | 3 | 2012-13 |
NSW’s 47 Shields underline how much of the competition’s history they wrote, particularly through the 1950s, 60s and 80s, but they haven’t lifted the trophy since 2019-20. Victoria are the most consistent recent power, and Western Australia won three in a row from 2021-22 to 2023-24. South Australia’s back-to-back 2024-25 and 2025-26 wins are their first repeat titles in their long history.
Best Bookmakers for Sheffield Shield Betting
Our top-rated bookmakers for Shield betting are OnlyBets, Dabble, Picklebet, Ladbrokes, BetNow, Neds and bet365. bet365 typically posts the deepest match-by-match markets including innings totals and player props; Neds and Ladbrokes usually have the sharpest outright pricing through the home-and-away rounds. For the full operator comparison see our cricket betting sites guide.
Sheffield Shield 2026-27 Season
The 2026-27 season is under way, with Round 3 from 28 October (fixtures above). There is no Ashes this summer: Australia’s home Tests are four against New Zealand from 9 December, then the 150th Anniversary Test against England at the MCG in March 2027, so early-season Shield form feeds straight into that selection. South Australia are chasing a third straight title, and Victoria were the form side of the 2025-26 home-and-away rounds.
Sheffield Shield FAQs
Who won the 2025-26 Sheffield Shield?
South Australia won the 2025-26 Sheffield Shield, defeating Victoria by 56 runs in the final at the Junction Oval in Melbourne (26–30 March 2026). It was their 15th title and their first back-to-back Shield wins, having also taken the 2024-25 trophy.
Who has won the most Sheffield Shields?
New South Wales have won the most Sheffield Shield titles with 47, ahead of Victoria (32), Western Australia (18), South Australia (15), Queensland (9) and Tasmania (3).
How many points do you get for a Sheffield Shield win?
A win is worth 6 points, a draw 1 point, and a tie 3 points each. Bonus points are also available, up to 5 batting and 5 bowling bonus points per match, based on first-innings runs and wickets in the first 100 overs.
Can I bet on the Sheffield Shield in Australia?
Yes. All major Australian bookmakers offer Sheffield Shield outright winner, match winner, top batter, top bowler and innings total markets. Coverage is deepest at bet365, Neds and Ladbrokes.
How long are Sheffield Shield matches?
Round-robin Sheffield Shield matches are played over four days. The Shield final is a five-day match. Both formats use two innings per side.
For more cricket coverage including The Ashes and the Australia v New Zealand Test series, build multi-leg cricket bets with our Same Game Multi guide, or browse the full cricket betting sites directory. For all our latest cricket tips and predictions, head to the cricket tips hub.