2026 T20 Blast
English T20 Cricket tournament in 2026
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The 2026 T20 Blast (also known as the 2026 Vitality Blast for sponsoring reasons) is the 24th edition of the T20 Blast (currently known as the Vitality Blast), a professional Twenty20 cricket league played in England and Wales. The tournament runs from 22 May to 18 July 2026.[1][2] The domestic T20 competition is run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and branded as the Vitality Blast due to the tournament's sponsorship.[3]
| Dates | 22 May – 18 July 2026 |
|---|---|
| Administrator | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | Twenty20 |
| Tournament format(s) | Group stage and knockout |
| Host(s) | England Wales |
| Participants | 18 |
| Matches | 115 |
| Official website | Vitality Blast |
Somerset are the defending champions, having won their 3rd title during the previous season.[4]
Format
The playing format is changed from this season; the two groups of nine sides are replaced by three groups of six split into north, central and south groups ,as they were in 2020.[5][6] Each county will play 12 group-stage matches ,six at home and six away. Counties will play the other five counties in their group home and away, in addition to one home match against a county outside their group and one away match against another county from outside their group.
Group Division
The teams are divided into the following groups[7]:
- North Group: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Notts Outlaws, Yorkshire
- Central Group: Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Somerset, Warwickshire Bears, Worcestershire Rapids
- South Group: Essex, Hampshire Hawks, Kent Spitfires, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex Sharks
Standings
North Group
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yorkshire | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.892 |
| 2 | Durham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.300 |
| 3 | Derbyshire Falcons | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | −0.300 |
| 4 | Leicestershire Foxes | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | −0.900 |
| 5 | Notts Outlaws | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | −1.892 |
| 6 | Lancashire | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | −2.950 |
Central Group
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gloucestershire | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1.200 |
| 2 | Somerset | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.896 |
| 3 | Worcestershire Rapids | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.900 |
| 4 | Northamptonshire Steelbacks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.150 |
| 5 | Glamorgan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | −0.100 |
| 6 | Warwickshire Bears | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | −2.350 |
South Group
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surrey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.950 |
| 2 | Kent Spitfires | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.350 |
| 3 | Sussex Sharks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.450 |
| 4 | Middlesex | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | −1.350 |
| 5 | Hampshire Hawks | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | −1.896 |
| 6 | Essex | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | −2.450 |
Fixtures
May
Essex 191/5 (20 overs) |
v |
Sussex Sharks 192/4 (16 overs) |
- Sussex Sharks won the toss and elected to field.
- Simon Fernandes (Essex) made his T20 debut.
Surrey 213/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Lancashire Lightning 154 (16.1 overs) |
- Lancashire Lightning won the toss and elected to field.
- Adam Thomas (Surrey) and Joe Moores (Lancashire Lightning) both made their T20 debuts.
Kent Spitfires 208/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Middlesex 181/8 (20 overs) |
- Kent Spitfires won the toss and elected to bat.
- Caleb Falconer (Middlesex) made his T20 debut.
Durham 203/8 (20 overs) |
v |
Derbyshire Falcons 197/8 (20 overs) |
- Derbyshire Falcons won the toss and elected to field.
- Amrit Basra (Derbyshire Falcons) made his T20 debut.
Hampshire Hawks 158 (19.4 overs) |
v |
Somerset 160/3 (16.2 overs) |
- Somerset won the toss and elected to field.
- Manny Lumsden (Hampshire Hawks) made his T20 debut.
Northamptonshire Steelbacks 165/8 (20 overs) |
v |
Glamorgan 162/8 (20 overs) |
- Glamorgan won the toss and elected to field.
Gloucestershire 121 (16.1 overs) |
v |
Warwickshire Bears 74 (14.4 overs) |
- Warwickshire Bears won the toss and elected to field.
- Kamran Dhariwal (Gloucestershire), Tazeem Ali and Vansh Jani (Warwickshire Bears) made their T20 debuts.
Notts Outlaws 167/7 (20 overs) |
v |
Yorkshire 169/3 (16.3 overs) |
- Yorkshire won the toss and elected to field.
- Joe Pocklington (Notts Outlaws) made his T20 debut.
Worcestershire Rapids 188/9 (20 overs) |
v |
Leicestershire Foxes 170/4 (20 overs) |
- Leicestershire Foxes won the toss and elected to field.
Glamorgan 157/8 (20 overs) |
v |
Gloucestershire 158/8 (20 overs) |
- Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to field.
- Henry Hurle (Glamorgan) made his T20 debut.
Northamptonshire Steelbacks 191 (20 overs) |
v |
|
- Northamptonshire Steelbacks won the toss and elected to bat.
June
July
Knock-out stage
Bracket
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