Revamped T20 Blast ready to ignite

History will beryllium made successful nan 2025 T20 Blast arsenic women's teams person officially go "fully aligned" pinch nan men's crippled for nan first time.

This play will see 52 double bills of men's and women's matches played back-to-back, of which each 18 first-class counties will big astatine slightest 1 and astir 30 venues successful full will spot 20-over cricket.

Blast Off play will footwear disconnected nan new-look competition, opening connected Thursday successful Manchester, wherever 2015 winners Lancashire Lightning big 2018 winners Worcestershire Rapids, and Lord's, wherever Middlesex and Sussex Sharks meet successful a double bill.

Defending men's champions Gloucestershire statesman pinch a location crippled against Kent astatine Bristol connected Friday.

Nottinghamshire's women's broadside will proceed to play arsenic The Blaze, having beaten South East Stars to triumph nan Charlotte Edwards Cup last past June earlier nan women's home crippled changed for this season.

They besides commencement connected Friday against nan Bears, who person dropped Birmingham from their name, arsenic portion of a double header astatine Trent Bridge.

The Oval will shape nan first Women's Finals Day connected Sunday, 27 July, while Men's Finals Day will beryllium connected Saturday, 13 September - again astatine Edgbaston, for nan 17th clip successful nan 23 years of T20 and nan 13th consecutive year.

Blast Men's Competition:

North Group: Bears, Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Notts Outlaws, Worcestershire Rapids, Yorkshire Vikings.

South Group: Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire Hawks, Kent Spitfires, Middlesex, Somerset, Sussex Sharks, Surrey.

Blast Women's Competition:

Bears, Durham, Essex, Hampshire Hawks, Lancashire Thunder, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze.

Blast Women's League 2:

North Group: Derbyshire Falcons, Leicestershire Foxes, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Worcestershire Rapids, Yorkshire.

South Group: Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Middlesex, Sussex Sharks.

Click present for nan afloat fixture list

Gloucestershire won their maiden T20 Blast title successful glorious style past September arsenic they hit holders Somerset, comprehensively outplaying their West Country rivals to declare their first trophy successful 9 years.

Openers Cameron Bancroft, up against his erstwhile county, and Miles Hammond some deed half-centuries astatine Edgbaston arsenic they won by 8 wickets pinch 31 balls to spare.

After winning conscionable 1 of their opening 5 matches, Gloucestershire came from obscurity to compression done successful 4th successful nan Southern Group and past followed it up by beating North Group winners Birmingham Bears successful nan quarter-final, nan 3rd consecutive play nan Bears had fallen successful nan past eight, connected their measurement to claiming their first knockout trophy since beating Surrey successful nan One-Day Cup astatine Lord's successful 2015.

Gloucestershire became nan 14th broadside to triumph nan T20 - leaving Yorkshire, Durham, Derbyshire and Glamorgan arsenic nan only 4 sides not to person done truthful successful its 22 editions.

Tykes coach Anthony McGrath hopes nan commencement of this year's T20 Blast, pinch Northants first up astatine Headingley connected Friday, tin bring a alteration of luck aft a torrid commencement to their run successful Division One of nan County Championship.

"It's a caller competition, and it is astir starting well," he told BBC Radio Leeds.

"We person done a batch of planning, but again, that counts for nothing; it is nan performances. I'm looking guardant to seeing really we respond connected Friday evening.

"This group is dying to do well, but you request much than that. At nan highest levels of sport, it is not astir skill; it is astir what's successful your head.

"It is simply a title we cognize we person to get amended at, but it is astir america going retired location and getting momentum and improving."

A number of world stars are group to statement up successful nan women's competition.

Australian batter Laura Harris will play for Bears, who person mislaid Amy Jones to The Blaze and Eve Jones to Thunder this season, but nan rotation of skipper Georgia Davis mightiness again beryllium important to their fortunes.

Durham have signed New Zealand world Suzie Bates to complement a line-up featuring England players Mady Villiers, skipper Hollie Armitage, Lauren Filer and Bess Heath.

Essex have brought successful Australian all-rounder Maddie Penna and evergreen keeper Lauren Winfield-Hill from Yorkshire for nan Blast and tin trust upon skipper Grace Scrivens but will miss strike-bowler Sophie Munro done injury.

Hampshire Hawks person seen a number of players depart this season, but skipper Georgia Adams has Australia world Charli Knott and England's Maia Bouchier astatine her disposal, while Ellyse Perry is group to get successful July for nan last six games of nan run and Finals Day, should nan Hawks get there.

Lancashire Thunder became nan first winners of nan caller Vitality T20 Women's County Cup pinch a 32-run triumph complete Surrey successful nan last astatine Taunton connected Sunday, pinch England's Sophie Ecclestone claiming 4-12 to smother nan Surrey reply.

Captain Ellie Threlkeld has brought successful batter Eve Jones, speedy bowler Grace Potts and spinner Darcey Carter to bolster her ranks, while Australian batter Katie Mack will play nan first 3 games of nan run earlier being replaced by compatriot, superstar leg-spinner Alana King, for nan remainder of nan campaign.

Sophie Luff bolstered her Somerset line-up pinch nan summation of England all-rounder Charlie Dean earlier nan season, and Australian leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington is besides back, having played past play nether their aged Western Storm identity, boosting a squad which already boasts erstwhile England skipper Heather Knight.

Bryony Smith mightiness person seen her Surrey side – formerly South East Stars – autumn short successful nan County Cup final, but pinch England's Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophia Dunkley and Alice Davidson-Richards successful her squad and Australian bat Grace Harris arriving successful June, hopes will beryllium precocious of challenging for a 4th last successful 5 years successful this competition.

Last year's Charlotte Edwards Cup winners, The Blaze, mightiness conscionable beryllium nan squad to beat, pinch skipper Kirstie Gordon capable to telephone upon Maddy Green of New Zealand successful nan opening 4 matches earlier Australia's Heather Graham arrives for nan last 10, pinch Gordon's Scotland team-mates, sisters Kathryn and Sarah Bryce, backmost for different tilt astatine silverware.

A big of world white-ball talent will beryllium jetting complete to return portion successful nan men's Blast.

North Group

Bears were dealt a rustle connected nan eve of nan tourney arsenic Beau Webster will now miss retired aft being called up by Australia for nan World Test Championship, while Hasan Ali will beryllium unavailable for nan first 3 games aft being fixed a cardinal statement by Pakistan.

Northamptonshire have signed Australian leg-spinner Lloyd Pope aft countryman Ashton Agar was ruled retired done injury. Pope was named successful nan squad of nan tourney successful nan Big Bash earlier this year, while South Africa batter Matthew Breetzke is besides back.

Durham have signed New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham. The left-hander is simply a seasoned of 83 T20 internationals and 76 ODI games for nan Black Caps.

Neesham, who besides bowls right-arm seam, will play for his sixth region aft erstwhile stints pinch Derbyshire, Essex, Kent, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.

Durham person besides signed New Zealand seamer Zak Foulkes, who was pinch Bears past summer, for nan group stages, still person South Africans David Bedingham and Codi Yusuf astir and taken Somerset bowling all-rounder Kasey Aldridge connected indebtedness for a month.

Australian paceman Ben Dwarshuis has returned to Worcestershire Rapids, having taken 15 wickets successful 2021, and will beryllium joined by Kiwi seamer Jacob Duffy for nan first 8 games, while Leicestershire can telephone connected Dutch all-rounder Logan van Beek and will invited Pakistan's Shan Masood, formerly of Yorkshire and Derbyshire, for nan Blast.

Lancashire have signed Australian all-rounder Ashton Turner, antecedently of Durham, to subordinate compatriot Chris Green, while Notts Outlaws person brought successful their compatriot Daniel Sams, who has spent nan past 3 home seasons pinch Essex, scoring much than 2,000 runs and taking 214 wickets successful T20 cricket, and seasoned Aussie all-rounder Moises Henriques, who has antecedently played for Surrey and Glamorgan.

England batter Alex Hales will not, however, characteristic this summer.

The 36-year-old is nan club's all-time T20 run-scorer pinch 4,285, and he has won 5 titles crossed different formats, having made his debut successful nan format 17 years ago.

He will alternatively correspond nan Knight Riders franchise successful some Major League Cricket and nan Caribbean Premier League.

Yorkshire have signed New Zealand speedy Will O'Rourke and Australian all-rounder Will Sutherland for nan group shape while Derbyshire can telephone connected Australian batter Caleb Jewell and teenage Afghan spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, while Kiwi speedy Blair Tickner is besides astir for nan group stages.

South Group

Australia batter D'Arcy Short has joined defending champions Gloucestershire.

The left-hander, who tin besides vessel spin, has played for his state successful some white-ball formats and has doubly been named 'Player of nan Tournament' successful Australia's Big Bash. Short joins chap countryman Cameron Bancroft pinch The Shire.

Somerset have brought backmost Australian seamer Riley Meredith, who took 14 wickets astatine an mean of 22.78 arsenic Somerset reached nan last past season, and invited backmost New Zealand's Matt Henry, who was nan starring wicket-taker successful nan 2023 Blast pinch 31 and was subordinate of nan lucifer successful nan last arsenic Somerset went connected to triumph nan trophy.

Essex have re-signed Pakistan gait bowler Mohammad Amir. The 33-year-old, who antecedently played for nan nine from 2017 to 2019, has taken 371 wickets successful 322 T20 games astir nan world and will subordinate South African Simon Harmer successful nan Essex ranks.

Hampshire Hawks person young South African batters Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis to telephone on, on pinch nan return of James Vince to look guardant to.

Surrey have signed Kiwi white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner for nan campaign, wherever he will nexus up pinch chap New Zealander Nathan Smith, while neighbours Middlesex can boast Kane Williamson successful their ranks for 10 group shape games and besides person Ireland speedy Josh Little to telephone on.

Glamorgan have signed Australian all-rounder Hayden Kerr, who played for Derbyshire successful 2022, until nan extremity of July and tin telephone upon nan evergreen South African Colin Ingram, while Sussex Sharks person Australians Daniel Hughes and Nathan McAndrew among their ranks and mightiness besides opt to utilise their compatriot seamer Gurinder Sandhu, who will stay pinch nan nine for red-ball cricket aft nan Blast.

Australian paceman Wes Agar and bowling all-rounder Tom Rogers are backmost pinch Kent Spitfires aft awesome turns successful 2024, while Sam Billings will skipper nan broadside and Fred Klaassen is besides available.