It’s all about the Premier League title this year, when the 14-match programme gets under way in the NCU on Saturday – one week later than scheduled.

For at least half the 10 clubs, with no aspirations of winning the league, it is a “free-hit” with no relegation this year as the top two teams in Section One will win promotion (if they want!) to form a 12-team Premier League from 2027.

So who are likely contenders for the title? It is now seven years since a club has won back-to back titles so there will be no great expectations for Instonians to retain their title. However, they are one of the few teams who have had no significant player movement over the winter and, indeed, look to be even stronger with the arrival of Ireland’s leading slow left armer, Matthew Humphreys, returning to his boyhood club from Lisburn.

How many games he will play, however, will be entirely up to Cricket Ireland but he could make the difference when he plays and with Shane Dadswell, now committed here and available for a full season, the champions look to be the team to beat.

Waringstown were the only team to defeat Instonians last year, in a rearranged game reduced to 20 overs, but the Villagers, who went into the split level on points with the Shaw’s Bridge side, lost the return game at The Lawn – over the full distance – and crashed to a 137 runs defeat by CIYMS in their last game. It left a comfortable eight points separating the champions and runners-up.

It could be even closer this season because Waringstown have a big-hitting opening batter as their overseas professional this year. Steve Stolk, a 20-year-old who has been playing for the South Africa Emerging side in the provincial league back home – and in the SA20 for Pretoria Capitals – has already announced his arrival with quick scoring in two friendlies and with Ireland squad member Matthew Foster snapped up from CSN, captain Greg Thompson, rightly, has high hopes in the club’s 175th anniversary year.

There was a yawning 20 points chasm in last year’s final table before Lisburn and CIYMS filled the next two places and there is big difference in personnel at both clubs for 2026.

Lisburn have lost not only Humpheys, but also professional Faiz Fasal and opening bowlers Ryan Macbeth and Josh Manley. Hard acts to replace!

Taking up the slack, much will depend on Jon Hinrichsen, the 27-year-old South African professional who will take the new ball and arrives with an impressive tally of 45 wickets from 29 List A games at an average of 24.

There are two other new arrivals in Jude Markham, who impressed with Donaghcloney Mill last season in Section One – he scored almost 1,000 runs at a strike rate of over 200 – and Ewan Wilson from Templepatrick.

The new faces at CI (they have dropped the YMS) since last season are even greater than at Wallace Park. In come Charles Swart from Templepatrick, Satish Suresh (Muckamore), Jack Snell (Waringstown), Paddy Beverland (CSN) and Adam McCormick (Cregagh).

The major departure is professional Hermann Rolfes and he has not been replaced so, not for the first time at Belmont, it will be interesting to see how quickly a collection of individuals can be transformed into a winning team.

Muckamore and North Down completed last year’s top six and with South African Neil Brand already in the country and raring to go in a full season with the Moylena club, captain Neil Gill will be looking for an even higher finish. That target should also be helped by the return of Aditya Adey and the arrival of the experienced Alistair Shields from North Down.

The Comber side have also lost former captain Peter Davison but have a couple  of impressive replacements in Harry Zimmerman from Ardmore and Mike Erlank, who starred as Eglinton’s overseas professional and takes up the same role at The Green. Now 35 years old, but still capable of changing a match with bat and ball.

Woodvale were the team who made the biggest fall from grace last year – from second in 2024 to eighth but it will  be a surprise if they are not in the top half again this season with Ruhan Pretorius taking over  the captaincy and professional Ludwig Kaestner available from the off.

Ballygomartin Road will also welcome a talented trio from relegated Templepatrick, in Ross Bryans, Evan Carlisle and Patrick Tice, plus Francis Collins from Cliftonville Academy. Their visit to The Lawn on the new opening day will be a good test to see how realistic a top four finish is.

Civil Service North may have lost Foster, Beverland and also Seb Yeates, but brought in two very interesting players. Their new professional is Ashwin Hebbar, a 30-year-old opening batter who was picked up by the Delhi Capitals squad four years ago – although he didn’t play a game. He has played 58 List A games in his cricket-mad homeland and hit six centuries, with a top score of 154 not out and in T20s has a strike rate of 131.

He is joined by Jake Collingwood, who scored 728 runs for Lurgan last year, with seven 50s, and also took 26 wickets. The Australian Irish Passport holder seems ready to make the step up.

The predicted bottom two, before a ball is bowled, are Cliftonville Academy and last year’s Section One runners up Laurelvale.

CA, who finished fourth in 2024, but slipped to ninth last season, have been hit by a mass exodus with Jared Wilson, Varun Chopra, Hayden Melly and Abhishek Raut all leaving the club, so much will  depend on Dave O’Sullivan, incoming from Donemana and new professional Christoffel (CP) Klijnhans. The 26-year-old versatile South African is a left hand batter, but also bowls leg spin and keeps wicket.

So to Laurelvale, back in the big time for the first time in 54 years, after taking up the offer of promotion because the team they finished 14 points behind in Section One, champions Carrickfergus did not want it. With a second season in the Premier League assured, they have not gone down the professional route and, indeed, it is an unchanged squad, with veteran David  Sinton again leading from the front.

The last promoted team not to employ a professional lost all 15 games so at least Laurelvale cannot be worse than Cregagh in 2022.

Up against Muckamore and Brand in their opening match on Saturday should be an eye-opener but as Sinton says: “We know how difficult a challenge this will be but it’s important to let our squad develop at this level for a season and then look to strengthen next season.”

Elsewhere, Instonians begin their defence at Stormont, CI’s first game is at home to Lisburn and Cliftonville Academy host North Down.