Headingley on July 3. Yorkshire's home. But Somerset arrive as the side with better form this season and a recent win over Yorkshire at Taunton already on the record. Match 38 of the Vitality Blast Women 2026 sees Somerset make the trip to Headingley as part of their away double header, with a July 7 fixture at Essex following three days later. This is a match with genuine group implications for both sides. Yorkshire need a win at home to keep their finals chances alive. Somerset arrives knowing a win pushes them deeper into the top-four conversation. This Yorkshire Women vs Somerset Women fantasy picks guide talks about the key individual player selections and the betting markets available for Indian cricket fans.
Key Takeaways:
- Match 38 takes place at Headingley, Leeds, on July 3, 2026, starting 1:30 PM GMT (7:00 PM IST)
- Somerset beat Yorkshire by seven wickets at Edgbaston earlier in the season (Match 6), chasing down 167 with Sophie Luff scoring 58 and Anika Learoyd 60
- Yorkshire's overseas player Sterre Kalis is currently at the Women's T20 World Cup (running until July 5), making her unavailable for this fixture
- Jess Jonassen, Yorkshire's Australian allrounder, has been their most reliable batting and bowling contributor this season
- Niamh Holland took 4/21 for Somerset in an earlier Blast fixture, establishing herself as their most dangerous bowling option
- Lotus365 carries Vitality Blast Women match winner, top batter, top bowler, session betting, and live in-play markets for Indian fans
Yorkshire Women vs Somerset Women Prediction
The Yorkshire Women vs Somerset Women prediction for Match 38 starts with understanding where both teams actually sit in this competition.
Yorkshire have had a difficult start to the 2026 Vitality Blast Women campaign. They lost to Blaze by 4 wickets with 3 balls remaining in Match 4, and then lost to Surrey by 4 wickets with 27 balls remaining in Match 7. Back-to-back losses at the start. The squad is young in parts and inconsistent. Their strongest individual performance markers come from Jess Jonassen and Olivia Thomas with the ball, but runs on the board have been hard to come by consistently.
The Kalis' absence is the single biggest selection concern for Yorkshire going into Match 38. Sterre Kalis confirmed she'd represent the Netherlands at the Women's T20 World Cup, which runs through to July 5, meaning she misses this fixture entirely. She had scored a 40-ball 47 for Yorkshire in one of their earlier matches, and losing that kind of top-order batting depth against a strong Somerset bowling attack is a real handicap.
Somerset have been more consistent. They beat Warwickshire convincingly by 7 wickets in their Edgbaston fixture, with Sophie Luff and Anika Learoyd both scoring half-centuries in a successful chase of 167. Both players are in excellent form heading into Headingley.
Top Player Picks
Top player picks for this fixture separate into clear tiers based on current form and match context.
The top batting selection for this match is Anika Learoyd. In her first overseas competition, Learoyd scored 61 off 49 balls to anchor a Somerset innings when a collapse threatened, showing exactly the kind of temperament that makes her the most reliable batting option in either squad right now. She's been their match-winner when it's mattered, and Yorkshire's bowling will need to find a way to remove her early to keep the game competitive.
Sophie Luff is the second Somerset batting selection. Luff scored 58 against Warwickshire and captains the side with the kind of innings management that makes her a consistent fantasy contributor even in matches where the total isn't spectacular. Captain innings in T20 cricket often produce steady run accumulation that fantasy points systems reward well across multiple categories.
For Yorkshire, Jess Jonassen is the selection that makes itself. Yorkshire's Australian allrounder has contributed with both bat and ball, and in a match where Yorkshire need someone to hold the innings together without Kalis at the top, Jonassen's batting experience matters. She can open or come in at three, depending on the game situation, and she takes wickets too.
Cricket Fantasy Tips
Cricket fantasy tips that consistently produce returns in the Vitality Blast Women focus on bowlers who take wickets in multiple phases rather than those who contain runs in one specific window.
Niamh Holland for Somerset is the clearest bowling selection. She took 4/21 in an earlier Blast fixture, destroying a batting lineup in her four-over allocation. Left-arm wrist spin that turns and bounces is difficult to read, and at Headingley on a July afternoon, the surface could assist her variation significantly. Four wickets in one game is a performance that identifies a bowler who's currently in rhythm, not just form.
Millie Taylor for Somerset carries equally strong credentials across the full competition history. Taylor has taken 23 wickets in 17 Blast games across her career at an average of 16.82, striking every 13.3 balls. That's a consistent wicket-taker at the domestic level, and in a match where Somerset's bowling attack needs to restrict Yorkshire to a chaseable total, Taylor delivers wickets rather than just economy.
Holly Garton has bowled impressively for Yorkshire in patches this season. She impressed with the ball in Yorkshire's earlier matches despite the team results going against them. Garton, as Yorkshire's bowling pick, represents a player whose individual market odds don't always reflect her wicket-taking ability on home surfaces where she knows the conditions.
Women's Cricket Fantasy Team
Captain choice: Anika Learoyd, based on recent form and proven ability to score big in away fixtures. Vice-captain: Niamh Holland for bowling multiplier in a match where Somerset's attack is expected to dominate.
Betting on Lotus365 for Vitality Blast Women's Match 38
Betting on Lotus365 for Yorkshire Women vs Somerset Women gives Indian cricket fans access to match winner, top batter per team, top bowler per team, total match runs over/under, powerplay session betting, and live in-play markets updating after each over throughout both innings.
Lotus365 has operated since 2016 with over 5 million registered Indian players. Curacao eGaming license 8048/JAZ. New users receive a 400% welcome bonus up to ₹70,000 on the first deposit. UPI deposits through PhonePe, GPay, and Paytm are instant. Withdrawals in 5 to 40 minutes via UPI and IMPS. 24/7 Hindi and English support through WhatsApp throughout the Vitality Blast Women's competition.
Match 38 starts at 1:30 PM GMT on July 3, which is 7:00 PM IST. Evening fixture timing makes this fully accessible for Indian fans to follow live with session betting on Lotus365 active throughout both innings at Headingley.
Final Thoughts
Yorkshire Women vs Somerset Women fantasy picks for Match 38 at Headingley on July 3 lean strongly toward Somerset's individual contributors, given Yorkshire's Kalis absence and their inconsistent form through the first half of the competition. The Yorkshire Women vs Somerset Women prediction points toward Somerset as the likely winners based on superior form, a previous win over Yorkshire this season, and the presence of Anika Learoyd and Sophie Luff as two batters in excellent form. Cricket fantasy tips across both batting and bowling favour Somerset-heavy selections for the complete women's cricket fantasy team, with Learoyd as captain and Niamh Holland as vice-captain. Use Lotus365 for all cricket fantasy tips across the live betting markets at Headingley on July 3.